


Forest and Sky

by Paw85



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Awkwardness, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Inspired by InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Original Character(s), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 81,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27813166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paw85/pseuds/Paw85
Summary: Turmoil spreads across the troubled land in Japan during the Sengoku era as disputes continue to flare over shogunal succession. If the human clans weren't warring amongst themselves, they were fighting an endless battle against the various types of demons of the youkai race aiming to take advantage of the internal discord. The few humans adept at wielding holy power stand as the only real defense against the fierce demonic race.The wolf demons in particular have been sweeping the lands around their dens, looking to expand their territories, stealing riches and in general slaughtering human lives. The eastern pack has become especially ruthless with a new fearsome leader at the helm of it all. Several villages have fallen so far to his army and now he sets his predatory eyes on the village of Edo. What do the gods have in store for him, his pack and the wayward priestess that fate has decried should cross paths?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Kouga
Comments: 103
Kudos: 75





	1. The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> (I do not own anything Inuyasha related. I'm just having fun writing my own story set in that world with known characters from the series. Characters may be a bit OOC to fit with the story I wish to tell. Original characters will also be added as needed.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humans and yokai have always lived in an uneasy existence. The powerful magic of the yokai race gifts them with heightened senses, physical attributes to rival the gods, accelerated healing and long lives. To help balance against their tremendous strength, the human race has several among their kin that wield holy power devastating enough to render demons to ash. Each side regards the other with disgust and a desire to simply wipe them out.
> 
> Every once in an ultra-rare while; a human and demon will cross paths in a way that doesn't come to blows or death. Maybe even in a way that could set Japan on a whole new course.

** ~Forest and Sky~ **

by Paw85

**Ch 1 – The Deal**

Screams shattered the once peaceful night as the small village of Edo fell under attack by a pack of vicious wolves and even more vicious wolf demons. The village guards were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer strength and speed of the wolves. Their spears and light armor were simply no match for the opposing sharp claws and fangs. As the first line of defense fell either prey to the attackers or ran back into the village; a second line ran forward to challenge the invaders.

The demons smiled cruelly with mouths full of jagged, blood stained teeth as they advanced slowly on these new “fighters”. Surely, they could just as easily slaughter these weak pathetic humans too. Humans were such boring opponents after all. Just a growl here and a swipe there and any spoils they deemed worthy to take would be theirs. Sometimes, their mere presence was enough to force them to surrender anything of value to the wolves. Raiding villages was a favorite pastime of this pack. The screams of humans were like music to their ears. Often, there was food to take, sometimes good sake too and, once in awhile, a fair maiden to bed or maybe some sparkly treasure to pillage.

A wolf demon with spiky white hair, a brown fur kilt with matching shin guards and a chest plate with a strong looking chain regarded the chaos of the now burning village.

“This is just too easy, Ginta,” he grinned at his nearby comrade as he sent off the warriors and wolves under his command to dispatch the human defenses.

“Ha! Yeah, this’ll be quick,” Ginta agreed, “wonder if they've got anything good around here?” as he directed another group of wolves and wolf demons.

His only direction was to “go have fun.” This “fun” came in the form of rifling through the huts and then destroying those huts with fire or their own brute strength and in general terrorizing the villagers. The demons ransacked while the wolves hunted the villagers.

Ginta looked very similar to Hakkaku in that he also wore a fur kilt and shin guards but he also wore a fur vest, a simpler chest piece and had short grey hair with a patch of black in the front.

“Maybe they’ll have some decent sake around –“ Hakkaku began to offer before “Eeeyahhhh!!!! **sizzzzzzlllllle** both whipped their eyes forward to see their warriors were actually backing away from the humans!

There was smoke wafting from their flesh and the telltale stench of holy purification. Ginta ran forward to one of the stumbling wolf demons. His forearm had a sizable gash in it and blood ran in small rivers down the arm and onto the ground. His skin was still sizzling from being touched by something holy. Hakkaku found similar injuries on the other men and several wolves were injured as well from protecting their demonic counterparts. What the hell was up with these humans?! They had never encountered something like this before in all of their raids!

“Fall back and call for help!” Hakkaku ordered the injured men as he and Ginta took point against the human sentries. Clearly, this raid wasn’t going to go down like the rest. As betas of the pack and leaders of this bunch, both he and Ginta had to protect their brothers and wolves from further harm

“Hakkaku! I think their weapons are blessed! Be careful!” Ginta spoke with serious alarm in his voice.

If a demon came into contact with holy power, they could be badly injured or wiped from existence, depending on how strong or how much power they were exposed to. He and Hakkaku had to be abundantly careful now until help could arrive. Neither was willing to turn tail and run as it wasn’t the wolf demon way…especially from humans of all creatures! Plus, their leader would be pissed if they came back empty-handed after losing to a bunch of pathetic humans. They had mouths to feed and a reputation to uphold. They had to hold the line!

The battle continued as the humans squared off with Ginta and Hakkaku. Both demons spent the grand majority of the time dodging holy swords and spears, afraid to even feel the aura of the divine. After several minutes, both sides had taken injuries and although the humans had suffered casualties, they were at a stalemate with the wolf demons. Ginta had several scratches on his arms, face and torso and Hakkaku had scratches as well and was struggling to move, let alone fight, on a broken ankle still sizzling from meeting the business end of a spear. It was taking awhile for any of their injuries to heal because of the exposure to holy power.

“Hakkaku, fall back! You can’t fight like this!” Ginta pulled his friend back as he stepped forward to continue the fight.

There were only a couple of human fighters left; he could handle this. ‘Help will be here any minute…..fuck! Where are you!?’ he began to mentally panic.

“What!? Are you fucking kidding me? I’m not leaving you here to fend for yourself! We BOTH have to keep going. Our comrades are badly hurt. You can’t protect us all!” Hakkaku yelled back.

The remaining humans began advancing on the arguing pair and rest of their group. After a few more moments pass, a shiver runs up both betas’ spines. There was shadow moving through the smoke towards the wolves.

“Lady Kaede! We’ve almost got ‘em’!” one of the men yelled behind him. “Lend us your power and we’ll finish these demons!” another confirmed with cautious hope.

Maybe they would survive this and save what’s left of the village. Victory was close! Just a little more and they would send these demons packing with their tails between their legs! They would show those damn wolves not to mess with Edo. That humans are not to be taken lightly and their food, supplies and families aren’t for their taking! A middle-aged woman joined the soldiers now. She was short in height, had long grey hair pulled back in a low clean ponytail, seemed to have only one good eye, wore red hibakama pants with a white hakui shirt and had simple socks with sandals on her feet. Slung on her back was a quiver of arrows and in her hand was a longbow.

‘Oh, shit!’ both Ginta and Hakkaku unknowingly thought together, ‘a priestess!’

The situation had become much more dire now with a damn priestess in the mix! She must have been the one to bless their weapons! Ginta swallowed hard. Now what were they going to do? As his mind ran through many scenarios, most of them leading them to their deaths, the wind began to pick up around them.

“Leave now, wolves, and I will spare ye…” the old miko began, “…or stay and I shall send ye to the underworld,” she finished as she notched an arrow in her bow. Holy power could be felt concentrating into the arrowhead.

Both human men remained in front her, their blessed spears at the ready and determination flaring in their eyes. The village may be burning around them, several villagers may be dead or dying and their guard may be reduced to almost nothing but they had a chance to win this battle against the wolves! Both Ginta and Hakkaku regarded the old priestess with darkened expressions of rage and stood their ground but each was internally very nervous about that holy arrow ready to fly from her bow. One precise hit with such concentrated holy power and they would not see tomorrow. Then, with a **BOOM!** , something hit in the center of the conflict, sending a gale of wind and dirt against all involved. Sending all wolves and demons rolling back on their tails, and the humans were tossed back against a partially destroyed hut.

Ginta sat back up in surprise, coughing up dirt, “What the hell was that? **cough – cough!** ”

“Oh, thank the Gods,” Hakkaku sighed in weary relief as he rolled back onto his belly from his side.

The wolves shook their fur of the dust and barked excitedly while the demon warriors cheered as they arose back to their feet as best they could.

Inside the settling dust cloud stood a tall, tan male with long raven hair tied in a high ponytail, a full chest plate complete with fur shoulder pads, a matching brown fur kilt, fur shin guards and a short katana at his waist. Swishing behind him in agitation was a long brown furry tail. The man looked about with calculating icy blue eyes, taking in everything and everyone. With lightning quick assessment using his demonic senses, he qualified injured pack members and wolves behind him, several screaming humans around him…..and one god dammed priestess….he thought with a snarl. So, this is why his men were failing this raid so spectacularly. And if he looked further at the so-called ‘guards’ of this village barely struggling to their feet, their spears were gently pulsating with holy aura.

‘Blessed weapons and a priestess, huh…’ the man pondered, ‘heh, this could be interesting,’ he smirked.

It had been some time since he had seen any real challenge from anything or anyone, especially from humans. The challenge excited him but he was also still thoroughly pissed off about the injuries that befell his comrades. He would return the favor ten fold for their suffering. It was time to crush those insects!

“Kouga, be careful! Their weapons are blessed!” Ginta cautioned as he helped Hakkaku to his feet and draped his pack mate’s arm around his shoulders to help him stand.

Poor Hakkaku was in a lot of pain and he wasn’t sure how he would get him back to the den….or the rest of them for that matter. There were many injuries spread out amongst them but most could at least walk or limp back. Ginta secured Hakkaku to his side while encouraging the others to rise to their feet, or paws if the situation fit.

“Heh, don’t worry about me. I got this. You all start picking your sorry asses off the ground. This’ll be over shortly,” Kouga waved nonchalantly over his shoulder, not even sparing a glance back to his clansmen.

A couple of humans who thought that they had any real chance with holy weapons and crusty old priestess with a bow barely made the energy he would need for this fight worth it. That holy arrow was the only thing that mildly piqued his interest.

The remaining human guards had now taken a defensive position a short distance from Kouga. Kaede hurried behind them, once again notching a holy arrow into her bow. She could tell looking at this newcomer that he was different from the rest of the group…..there was a very strong demonic aura about him and a sharpness in his gaze. His youki was easily pushing back her reiki even from this distance. She would need to use whatever divine power she could muster to mount a decent defense. But, then, he vanished from sight in a gust of wind, leaving Kaede and the guards looking around in stunned silence. A few seconds passed before one guard was mysteriously slashed to ribbons. Then the remaining guard met a similar fate, falling to the ground, their blood quickly staining the dirt a deep crimson red. Kaede stammered back in confusion from her fallen kinsmen. This demon was FAST. Deadly fast, agile and strong; a potent and dangerous mix to be standing against. It would most likely be mere seconds at best before her own life was taken!

In those precious seconds, a cold shiver rippled down her spine as her stomach dropped and she swallowed hard. She didn't have to observe her surroundings to know there was no one else left to stand against these wolf demons with her. It was very likely she would not survive this encounter. As she contemplated the horrific reality of her impending doom, a flash of her dear daughter ran through her mind. She could swear that she could her that child's laugh; clear as a bell. Thank the gods that her little girl was off traveling on a pilgrimage to other villages. At that moment, she also realized that her child may still end up crossing paths with these ruffians. As the head priestess of this village, and as a devoted mother worried for her baby, she resolved to make her last stand here and amassed all of the divine power she could through a fervent prayer.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Kouga circled around to take Kaede's head. He grinned cruelly as he flexed his claws, elongating them to make a clean strike against her throat. A vibrant, pinkish-purple holy aura enshrouded Kaede's body, blinding Kouga and his soldiers alike, sending them all flying back several feet into the village outskirts. Kouga gracefully backflipped out of the blowback and landed on his feet in the grass, his armor sizzling a bit from exposure to reiki. His own demonic aura had protected him well from the brunt of the blast.

At the very last second, he had jumped back from that old bat once he saw that she was throwing out a holy aura. His demonic allies rolled in the grasses, snuffing out any reiki flames, their bodies also sizzling from exposure. Hakkaku lay flat on his back, whimpering in pain with several burns on his body. He could no longer stand or even limp. Ginta had a bad burn on his stomach and his hair was partially singed from the reiki, a tiny flame alight on the small tuft of black hair. He struggled to roll to his side as he smothered the remaining flame in his hair. The other wolf demons were a tangled mass of sizzling limbs, furs and exclamations of pain. The wolf companions were unfazed by the holy nature of the energy blast but several had injured paws, scratches, bruises or cracked ribs from the impact. They whined softly, rising to their feet but definitely not suited for battle anymore.

Vermilion red seeped into the whites of Kouga's eyes ' _ **revenge'**_ , encasing his sky blue irises as his rage reached a fever pitch ' _ **revenge'**_ , then turned icy cold ' _ **revenge'**_. His fangs reached down to his chin now as a ferocious roar erupted from his maw! Playtime was over; that bitch will pay for this! In a split second, he was gone again from sight, his mind myopically locked on repeat of _**'revenge'.**_ In a blink of an eye, he was back up in the village and sending Kaede through a burning hut with powerful right hook. The old woman never saw it coming and barely registered what happened until she came to a rest in a pile of broken reeds, wood and severed rope. Pain burst in from everywhere in her body. Her head rang, somehow not hearing the chaos around her, her vision blurring in and out. She could barely move as she struggled to sit up before immense pain forced her to lay back down. Her bow was nowhere in sight and there was a lot of debris weighing on her as well as jabbing against her. Is this how she would finally meet her end? She was too weak and injured to summon any more divine power, her mind barely coherent now.

One final prayer surfaced in her mind, 'I beg of ye, Gods, please keep my dear Kagome safe. Protect her..,guide her.......,watch over her.....' before darkness claimed her consciousness.

* * *

Outside the destroyed hut, Kouga grinned, chuckling in victory over the no doubt now dead old miko. It served her right for harming him and his comrades. Humans were insects and should just give up whatever he wanted when he wanted it. And if they had nothing material to give or decent saké to take, then they could make use of themselves by becoming food for his hungry pack. After all, what else were humans good for? Pride demanded that he make certain that the old witch was indeed dead as he walked slowly up to the wrecked hut, soaking up every moment of victory from killing a miko. Among demon kind, it was one thing to conquer another demon or tribe but it was another to slay a holy practitioner as they were the bitterest of enemies. Polar opposites in every sense of the word.

Since he came to power as the alpha of the eastern pack roughly a year ago, he had successfully built his reputation among his pack as a ruthlessly strong leader. Defiance wasn't an option and he made that clear by winning every sparring match within the den, quashing every uprising and beheading the leader of the last group that attempted to dethrone him. After solidifying his position as alpha, he set out to make his pack strong and, more importantly, feared. He would lead his pack to greatness with an iron fist and go down in history as the man whose name and pack were feared across the land....no, across the entire world! Raiding human villages would help with his plans but adding a dead holy user was even better to increase the reputation for him and his pack. Bringing back her head would make a nice trophy.

As he stalked closer to Kaede's fallen form, mind somewhat lost in the glory of his plans, he vaguely recognized the sound of approaching hoof beats.

Suddenly, a horse skidded to a stop in front of his prey, “Wait!” a women's voice rang out in alarm.

Kouga's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again, growling lowly. How dare this human bar the way to his revenge? The rider was a woman, barely out of adolescence, wearing a simple kimono, and trousers of all things. An odd choice given her gender. Kouga couldn't be bothered to take note of her any further, there was revenge to be had and she would not stop him from savoring every last gory second of it.

From her position up high on the horse, Kagome found herself almost frozen with fear, staring into the reddest pair of eyes she had ever seen. He was obviously a demon.....wolf maybe? She hadn't seen a wolf demon before; despite her travels that took her far and wide. But those other demons on the side of the road she passed before getting back to the village...and the obviously wolf companions with them led her to think these demons must be of the wolf variety. Their attacks on human villages had been on the rise lately. Despite how high she sat, this demon didn't have to tilt his head back far to make eye contact with her. Kagome didn't take much time to take in his image aside from that he was very tall, seemed very strong but most important to note was he was extremely angry. And those eyes.....those creepy red eyes that were so vibrant carmine that she half expected them to overflow with red down his face in macabre tears...This might be the “beast side” she had heard rumors about. Supposedly, every demon has another side to themselves aside from their usual personality that ran more on instinct rather than logic. Not much was known of these inner beasts and, to be honest, she nervously laughed off the last person to share this rumor with her. It was absurd after all; having more than one consciousness sharing one body and have it not be a case of possession. Demons were dangerous enough as they were with their terrifying strength and callous disregard of humankind. Why did demons have to be any scarier than they already were?

“Move, human,” Kouga's beast growled dangerously as he flexed his claws again, “or I will remove you,” he finished, narrowing his eyes further.

There was a creepy, otherworldly echo to his voice. Not that she knew what he originally sounded like, but it almost seemed there were two voices overlapping. The following snarl jarred her out of her stupor and she was suddenly very aware of what had taken place in her village. Many huts were either destroyed or on fire, screams and crying children filled the air. None of the village guard were present aside from the bodies behind her. She could faintly feel her mother's aura. It was weak but pulsing consistently, letting Kagome know that her mother was most likely hurt but not dead. No doubt she fought with the village guard to push back these demons and lost. Kagome mentally breathed a sigh of quick relief. Her mother was “safe” and the village had not been completely destroyed.... _yet_. What could she do to spare the village and its inhabitants any more pain?

With all this information gathered within moments, she met the beast's deathly glare with determination. “Leave this village now, demon. You all have done enough damage for one night.”

The beast's snarl lessened a bit as he stared at her with slightly narrowed eyes and his posture tensed. Several moments passed as they held each others' gaze, neither blinking. Then, the beast threw his back in full bodied, echoing laughter. Kagome's face fell in surprise, mouth agape and eyes blinking owlishly. Laughter? Her demand, which took so much courage, was met with laughter? What would she do if he refused? He was certainly powerful enough to simply kill her in one swipe or merely shove her aside. He was _still_ laughing, slightly doubled over with hands resting just above his knees. Kagome couldn't stop the red flaring in her cheeks in embarrassment and agitation. She took several quiet breathes in an effort to calm down. She couldn't allow this asshole to get to her. What was left of the village was counting on her and so was her mother! One more cleansing breathe and she dismounted her horse, taking a couple of cautious steps toward him. He was so much larger and scarier now that she was on the ground....easily a foot or more over her diminutive stature, but she had to keep it together. Summoning all of her courage, she addressed him again.

“I mean it, demon! Leave this village and its inhabitants in peace. If you do, I can make it worth your while,” she spoke evenly, despite the nagging worry that he might not hear her over all that incessant laughing.

He looked up a moment, then burst out into a second round of uproarious laughter. Kagome could hear and feel herself mentally exploding in frustration. Just what was so damn funny?! You would think she had said something truly ludicrous like the world was round or something! She had never been treated with such contempt in her life! Pissed off as she was at this arrogant bastard, she stood her ground, folding her arms and shifting her weight on one leg as she patiently waited for him to finish enjoying himself at her expense.

The beast couldn't remember the last time he laughed this hard, this long. Hell, had he ever laughed in his 340 years of living? If this human had been useful for anything this night; she was at least entertaining. He began to straighten up as he inhaled deeply from so much laughter. His sides were hurting and he wept a tear from his crimson eyes as he moved to look at the silly little human again.

“What could you possibly offer me, pathetic human? I'm not hungry and I have no interest in fucking filth like you,” he was once again at full height, looking down his nose at her, his arms folded with a matching fangy smirk.

He almost burst out laughing again at her pouty expression. It was almost cute. Did she seriously think she could offer him anything of value? The idea was absurd in every sense of the word.

All fear of him forgotten and replaced with righteous indignation; Kagome steeled herself.

“ Those men out there are your comrades, yes? Some of those injuries were pretty serious. I'm a very skilled healer; I can help them. If you leave this village right now, I'll treat them,” she finished while successfully ignoring his horrid remark about her attractiveness or lack there of.

She never fancied herself the fairest in the land but her level of beauty was fine, thank you very much!

As she fumed, the beast had to to stop and think about her proposal. The silly little human had _actually_ made a proposal worth considering! The pack had been without a healer for a couple of seasons now. His last healer had met her demise in the jaws of a hungry bird-of-paradise; a demon tribe that had become a real thorn in his side lately. The wolves used to patrol and secure their territory with ease, even against those damn birds. Then, one day, the nearby tribe of birds-of-paradise began attacking his pack with a whole new level of fervor, hunting both the demons and the animals for food. During one of the many battles, Kouga saw that they had a new leader and this leader was smart. They used the skies very well to their advantage and hurt many of his pack. There weren't many healthy warriors left to defend the den. Despite the wolves' enhanced demonic healing, the attacks were out-speeding their ability to recover. There had been an attack just yesterday as well, and this time, women and cubs were caught in the crossfire. Kouga would be damned if he allowed anymore of his pack to become food for those flying turkeys!

The beast chuckled lightly to himself. She may be a human but the last healer never trained a successor. This might be a chance to get a leg up over those fucking birds. If she failed to be useful, then she would become food for his hungry people. Either way, his pack benefited, but on the infinitesimal chance that she could deliver on her part of the bargain, she would have to stick around longer than whatever time it took to heal his men out in the fields. When he met her eyes again, an evil grin played across his lips again.

“Serve me for life and I might think about it,” he responded cockily with arms still folded.

“F-for life?” Kagome mentally kicked herself for stammering. Was he being serious right now? What assurances did she have that he would leave this village alone and its inhabitants?

“Hurry up and decide, human. This deal is only good for the next five seconds before all of your lives are forfeit,” he grinned evilly.

“5.......4.......” He began flexing his claws again as he stepped closer to her. She would be the first to die and then he would pick up where he left off with his vengeance on that old bat.

“3.......2.......” He was a mere couple of steps from her now.

“OKAY!” Kagome yelled louder than intended, bringing her hands hurriedly to her mouth in momentary embarrassment.

“Okay, I agree to serve you for life if you leave this village and its inhabitants alone forever,” she continued, determination burning in her eyes.

He looked down at her from his towering height. He couldn't see or smell any fear or deception on her.

'This human is crazy but she has guts,' he observed the metaphorical and literal fire in her eyes for a moment, paying her a silent compliment, before his eyes turned hard again.

“Then, get moving, human,” he stepped aside, making way to what was left of the village entrance.

Kagome stood there dumbly a moment not quite understanding while he took the reigns of the horse. There were a couple of his men that wouldn't be able to walk back to the caves. The horse could carry them back.

'Get moving? Get moving where?....What is he doing with my horse?' she wondered.

“NOW!” he barked with a snarl.

She “Eeeeeppped!” before hurrying out the village exit, still not really knowing where she was to go but guessing she was maybe meant to go to that sorry pile of injured wolf demons she saw earlier.

Was she going to start healing now? She had a few supplies and basic items with her but they wouldn't stretch far. She had not had a chance to restock her satchel with necessary herbs and ointments.

* * *

Turned out she was half right. They did go back to injured wolf demons and animals. Kouga draped the most injured men over the horse's strong back. Kagome opened her mouth to protest using her horse without her permission but promptly shut it, electing to remain quiet. This, she thought, wasn't the time to be exercising her right of ownership. There were several wolves and demons with her now. Injured or not, they could probably still kill her and she didn't want to become somebody's nighttime snack. The animals eyed her curiously but moved into travel formation. She was sure the other demons must have already noticed her but she kept her eyes to the ground. Foolishly believing that maybe if she didn't look at them, maybe they wouldn't pay her any mind.

Once the group was ready to move out, she flinched a bit as one of them asked the million yen question, “Kouga, what's with the human?”

She looked up enough to see it was the demon that had short grey hair with a curious black tuft in the middle and a simple chest plate that asked.

'Kouga? Is that the red eyed demon's name?' she pondered.

The fact that demons had names past their species classification was news to her. He seemed to be in charge of things in this group and he had an air of authority about him. All of the men and the wolves deferred to his direction automatically. When she confronted him back in the village, she had no idea if he had any position of power. Her only concern was getting them out of her village. "Kouga" had not addressed her once since stepping foot outside of the village. She was unsure if she was glad or slightly annoyed at being ignored as if she was nothing.

“Oh, her,” he sounded as if he was just reminded of something he had forgotten.

Apparently she _was_ nothing to him...great...but in reality what did she expect? Humans and demons lived in violent opposition of each other anyway and even more so for humans with holy abilities.

“She's off-limits; don't mind her,” he added offhandedly.

He didn't offer further explanation and he was under no obligation to. Wolf demons followed a strict hierarchy and the alpha's word was law. Their job as underlings was to follow his orders without question. If they had a problem. then they could come for Kouga's head and title. Any who were suicidal enough to challenge him usually met with a grisly, fatal end.

The group had started moving now. To where she had no clue but she followed behind everybody as best she could. It made her feel a bit safer to be out of immediate eye shot. That was easy to do since they moved quickly, even in their injured state, and it was a challenge to keep up. She was at least in a half run most of the time. Good thing she borrowed these trousers and boots from the last village she was helping! This travel would be so much harder in a kimono and sandals, and still would be tough in her usual priestess garb which would have been her usual day to day wear.

The gods must be watching over her tonight as she was indeed a priestess in a group of demons and she was still alive. She reasoned that maybe they couldn't sense her holy power because she was still drained from her last pilgrimage. She had been traveling to village after village offering healings, prayers, purifications and exorcisms. Her power had been depleted and it would be several days before she recovered. Once she did recoup, she knew how to suppress her aura, courtesy of her mother's teachings. She realized then that technique would be key to her survival now and going forward.

* * *

The moon was high in the night sky and the group was still traveling through the woods. None of the demons had said a word to her the entire journey. There was the occasional groan or whine from the pain of their injuries but things were relatively silent aside from the sound of their footfalls. The wolves ignored her too, forming a defensive barrier around the injured. Kagome pondered whether the wolves just already knew to do that or was direction given in a way she didn't understand? She was pulled from her musings when she began to hear the sound of rushing water and the nearby river had picked up its pace. They had been walking through a forest for sometime now and there was a continuous climb upward.

'We must be going into the mountains,' Kagome thought tiredly.

Her legs and feet were getting exhausted from walking several miles to get to this point. She wished dearly that she could mount her horse as that would make this travel so much easier.....but he was busy carrying injured so she inwardly sighed and kept walking. The sound of rushing water grew louder until they broke the treeline. The mountains rose up majestically in front of her underneath the clear starry sky and grassy foothills rolled out to greet them. There in the foremost mountain, was a grand rushing waterfall. Thanks to a chance angle of the moon, a lunar rainbow crossed the cascades of water. It truly was a sight to behold. This is a demon's den? It seemed too beautiful and pure to house such dangerous beings. Just behind the falling waters, Kagome could make out flickers of light showing through, hinting at a cave entrance.

A couple of new wolf demons came running up to the group now, worry etched on their faces. Kagome deduced that they must be sentries to that large entrance behind the waterfall. Each one had a spear not unlike the sentries back in her village.

“Kouga, what happened?!” exclaimed a demon that was almost wider than he was tall.

He was almost abnormally bulky with muscle and had grey hair pulled back in a very short bottle brush ponytail. Scars were visible everywhere skin could be seen. Clearly a seasoned warrior. Kagome was surprised to find a man shorter than her considering she wasn't all that tall herself (5'4'').

“Was it those bastard birds again?” another demon ran up immediately behind him.

This one was taller and lanky compared to the demons she had seen so far. He had golden eyes and short hair that was strangely a lavender color. He seemed to be younger than his cohort. His build reminded her of teenaged human boys. Maybe this is the demonic equivalent?

“Naw, they just ran into a priestess and some blessed spears,” Kouga growled as he handed one badly wounded soldier to the short demon and the other to the lanky demon.

He threw Hakkaku over his shoulder and tucked Ginta underneath his free arm, securing him next to his side. Both betas grimaced to having to be carried this way, their pride suffering. They hardly made for a picture of proud wolf demon warriors right now. Plus, both felt ashamed not only for the entire raid party getting hurt but they also returned home without any spoils of interest. It stung that they couldn't finish raiding that human village.

Wolves and wolf demons began walking away when the lavender haired youth turned back around due to a strange scent catching his attention. Flowers....and blood, smoke and fire? His eyes widened a fraction to see a human woman was here too. Kagome stammered before returning her gaze to the suddenly interesting grasses at her feet.

“Hey....Kouga?” he began somewhat nervous as their leader was in a very foul mood and his eyes were still dangerously red, “ What do you want us to do with the human girl and the horse?”

He hoped that they would be food. It was common for raiding parties to bring back humans and their animals to feast on. The horse looked tasty but the human didn't seem to have much meat on her. Kagome felt a distinct cold shiver ripple up her spine at the possibility that maybe this Kouga person would simply feed her to his men rather than hold up his end of the bargain. She didn't really have any leverage to use in her favor and her holy power would take a few more days to return yet. She did her best to remain calm and take each minute as it came.

“Oh, yeah, her,” Kouga merely kept walking forward until he came to the sheer face of the mountain at the base of the waterfall. “ _She_ is going to clean up this mess,” he effortlessly jumped to the cave entrance to hand off his injured men to another demon.

In moments, he was back down at the base of the waterfall and walking straight towards Kagome. All of the remaining men watched him, perplexed by his response. How was a little human girl like this going to provide anything, let alone 'clean up this mess', if she's not going to be food?

“What are you all standing around here for?” Kouga whirled around with fangs bared, “Get them to the recovery wing, you idiots!” Kagome shrank back into herself, startled by the sudden outburst of rage.

This succinctly broke them all out of their confused stupor and both sentries rushed to get their injured brethren to the recovery wing. Both easily scaled the cliffs with their demonic strength and speed. Kouga turned back to the tiny human that had been in tow all night. Could she really do what she said back in the village? Could she actually help his injured men? She lifted her head cautiously to look up at him, hazel eyes guarded. The beast had his misgivings about the situation but the only other option now was to risk waiting and seeing if his pack members would recover fast enough before the next bird-of-paradise attack. He was not willing to risk their safety any further. If she failed to do as promised, then she would be killed, eaten or both and he would figure out what to do next later. He may have to resort petitioning another pack for aid and he wished to avoid that if possible. Owing a favor to any of those other alpha bastards would be a great insult to his pride and his pack may lose faith in his leadership.

Before Kagome could ask what was going to happen now, the ground had left her and she was flying through the air, soaring straight through a VERY cold wall of water and face-planting onto a solid rocky floor. She took a few welcome breaths, sat up in a daze, eyes wide and blinking and looked at the backside of the waterfall.

* * *

'Did he just _throw_ me in here!?' her mind squealed in shock before melting into anger, ' how dare he....that bastard!'

Obviously, he didn't care a lick about her safety or how cold the water was that she went sailing through. She could've been hurt and now she was freezing on top of it all! Kouga walked in a beat later, completely unaffected by the downpour of water, picked her up by the back of her kimono and started hauling her off like a bale of rice.

“Wha-! Hey!” Kagome cried out in protest, suddenly forgetting to be wary of her surroundings and the people in it.

“I can walk just fine, you know!” she started to struggle against Kouga's grip on her kimono. It was completely ineffective, of course, against his iron grasp but she kept trying anyway.

Kouga ignored her protests and kept walking with her in tow, stopping only for a moment in roughly the center of the cave entrance. All activity in the cave had stopped to hear what their leader had to say, out of respect but mostly out of fear and self-preservation.

He kept his voice even but slightly raised so all would hear this order as he lifted Kagome up a bit for all to see: “ Do NOT touch, kill or eat this.”

Kagome's eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open once again. 'Do NOT touch, kill or eat this!? What the hell?!' her mind screamed before, once more, Kouga strode off into the network of tunnels softly illuminated by torches.

Where was he taking her? She inwardly prayed fervently to the Gods to continue watching over her to keep her safe.

* * *

Eventually, they entered a very large room filled to the brim with cries of agonizing pain. Kagome could hardly believe what she was seeing. This room must be at least the size of her village...maybe a bit bigger even...and the whole floor was covered with injured men, women and some children. It seemed almost endless! Kagome continued to look on in awestruck horror as Kouga carried her further in. She could see innumerable cuts, bruises, gashes, and even some dislocations. To call this a scene of carnage was an understatement. Her heart immediately went out to the crying kids. Demon or not, a child was a child and they were innocent; far as she was concerned.

Reaching the back of what Kagome understood must be the recovery wing, Kouga finally dropped her on a couple of ragged mahogany fur pelts. It finally dawned on Kagome that THIS was the 'mess' that Kouga had mentioned earlier outside of the caves. She initially thought he meant the wounded men from the raid on her village but this was....this was a LOT more people to heal. Kagome estimated that there may even be 120-ish injured to tend to....maybe more. Kagome looked up at Kouga in uncertainty. He had to be joking, right? Did he really expect her to handle this all on her own?

He looked down at her now; eyes still glowing crimson. She didn't know if she would ever get over how terrifying those eyes were. So full of malice and primal danger.

To him, she looked decidedly less certain than she was back at the village. Maybe she'll just become food for the tribe after all, but, first, he would get out of her what he could.

“Well? Get started, human,” he gestured to the whole room with his head. Apparently he _did_ expect her to handle this all by herself....

“There will be no food or sleep until every man, woman and child has been helped to my satisfaction. If you fail, you will die” he added before whistling out into the room.

A very large, russet colored wolf trotted quickly to his side. This wolf was a lot bigger than the ones she saw back at the village and there was a cold sharpness to his amber eyes. Kouga rumbled lowly at the wolf before leaving the room. Kagome almost reached for his retreating form as he was the only one ensuring her safety before reminding herself that he was no friend of hers. He only kept her 'safe' to hold up her end of the bargain.

She took a few deep, grounding breaths. Then, taking a band from around her wrist, she drew her hair back into a ponytail and set out to see what she had to work with aside from some odds and ends in her satchel. This long night was about to get much longer.


	2. A hard day's night....or 2...or....what day is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hard day's night is an understatement for the gauntlet Kagome endeavors to traverse. With many demons and wolves alike in various states of injury, and a giant furry babysitter with a mouth full of sharp teeth staring her down; our heroine keeps a hypnotic mental mantra of 'just keep moving' on loop in her head.
> 
> Kouga wrestles with his beast's response, or lack there of, regarding bringing a human slave into the eastern den and the logistics of keeping her here for the duration of her short, pathetic life.

** ~Forest and Sky~ **

by Paw85

**Ch 2 – A hard day's night....or 2...or....what day is it?**

It was after Kouga made it back to his private chambers for the night that the red finally receded from eyes, leaving behind his natural white color and azure blue irises. This night had been unusually strange and difficult between his men facing off against a priestess, the raid going sideways, both of his betas were down along with the other men in the party, he had been unable to wrestle back control from his beast...and, the weirdest thing to come out of all this shit was his beast making a freaking deal with that human. All he wanted to do was relax and unwind but he had a major bone to pick with his beast about that 'deal' first. He mentally withdrew into his mind to have a little chat with his other side.

'What the FUCK were you thinking?' he barked at his beast's furry image.

The beast sat there in their shared mind-space, eyes meeting his other half. He was a very large, imposing figure, with glowing red eyes and the same sky blue irises, a long snout full of razor sharp teeth and bushy brown fur mottled with black and a black stripe racing along his spine. He turned on his large paws to face Kouga, his long tail swished slowly to the side as he looked down on his humanoid half. The beast was at least 12' feet tall at his shoulder. This wasn't his true size of course but what need was there to be full size in this situation?

_'I was thinking about the pack. We do not have a healer,'_ the beast responded simply.

'I know we don't have a healer! It's been a real pain in the ass for 2 seasons now', Kouga grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

It truly had been beyond annoying and his back up strategy of being everywhere at once wasn't working. The attacks from those damn birds were too severe and frequent for the pack to get a foothold in the battle. No matter how many he took out, more seemed to pop up. When he would be busy with multiple opponents, more pack members would get injured. At this rate, he would be forced to ask another pack for aid....which he was absolutely dead set against. His pride as a wolf demon and, more importantly, as an alpha of this pack, wouldn't allow it.

'But a _human!_ You've brought a _fucking human_ into our home! The pack won't stand for this and they might riot. We've never used human slaves before and I'm not about to start now!' Kouga hissed through gritted teeth.

He truly didn't care if she died but he was more worried about the disgrace this move may bring on his name. The eastern pack had never used human slave labor historically. Some of the other packs did but anti-sentiment against humans ran very deeply with the eastern wolves. Humans were only good for food. Otherwise, they were pathetic, useless and above all, weak. The human back in the recovery wing was no different. She was tiny, seemed to be fragile and was probably lying about her skill to heal in order to save her fellow weakling humans. She had to be deceiving them earlier and, once the pack found that out, who knows what might happen? They might rebel and even though Kouga would most likely come out on top, being the strongest in the pack and all, the pack's size would dwindle even further and that was unacceptable. Not to mention pack morale would fall even lower than it was now.

Kouga continued, 'How could you fall for a simple lie like that? She may have had some plants on her but there was no other proof that she could do what she promised!'

The beast merely yawned, his open maw showing off all of his gleaming sharp teeth and long pink tongue.

_' We shall see,'_ he muttered before laying his big furry head down on his front paws and curling his tail around himself as his large eyes shut into beginning slumber.

Yet another log of annoyance to throw onto the shit-that-doesn't-make-sense fire. Kouga returned to full attention. His beast was unusually mysterious and uncooperative tonight. In all 340 years of their existence, he and his beast had always been in sync. Always working well together to achieve all goals he set for himself. Kouga didn't completely buy that the beast made a deal with a disgusting human to trade a puny village's safety just for a possible healing payoff. Try as he might though; he couldn't find any other reason for the beast to do this. The whole thing was giving him a headache and he was already beat from tonight's events. He elected to let the matter go for now and see how things unfold. After all, his instincts were pretty much the only thing he could truly count on and they have kept him alive so far. Maybe the beast sensed something about her that he couldn't?

Kouga now entered his personal hot spring that was conveniently connected to his chambers. The hot water and steamy air were just the ticket to unwind after a difficult day. His muscles were sore and even though he already recovered from his minimal wounds back at the village, the water was a welcome relief. His mind drifted back to the human that stared his beast down back at the human village. Never had any human been brave enough or stupid enough to do that. Even stranger was that she survived the encounter. His beast had even less tolerance for humans than Kouga did.

'Oh, well,' he mentally shrugged. She probably won't last the night, let alone a full day in his caves. Her charade would end in short order and then she would be fed to his wolves. Or his men. Whichever came first; he didn't care. After relaxing awhile in the healing mineral waters of his spring, he wandered back into his room naked, clothes tucked under his arm, and prepared to go to sleep for the night.

Being the alpha of the tribe, he had the largest bedroom in the caves. It had tall hewn ceilings, a fireplace, a large regal bed fit for a king, a meticulously crafted dresser with a big oval mirror and a trunk that matched the bed and dresser as a set. Strewn about the floor were several plush fur pelts for additional comfort. Everything about this room screamed a person with power lived here and best of all: it was private. His own personal sanctuary to enjoy the company of his favorite person: himself....and his wolf partner, of course. To the side of the grand bed was a nest of furs that his companion usually laid upon at night. He chuckled a bit because, this night, his wolf would be keeping a constant vigil on the human girl. Somebody had to watch her for security reasons and Kouga would be damned if he wasted any of his precious time on a human that would probably be gone in the immediate future. Hell, for all he knew, she was dead already. He laid back on his grand bed that was covered in silk sheets, furs and soft feather-filled pillows. As he stared up at the ceiling of his room that he could see perfectly in the dark as if it was daylight; he saw her determined face again. Those forest eyes really held no fear of him...he growled as he turned over on his side, enjoying the coolness of the silk sheets against his skin, and blew out the candle on the nightstand next to his bed.

'It had to be a facade,' he decided, shoving the odd thoughts away and shutting his eyes.

* * *

Back in the recovery wing; sleep was the furthest thing from Kagome's mind. She was simply too busy calming a fussy child, convincing a demoness to let her reset an injured shoulder, slathering healing ointment over burns, scratches and making an endless supply of said healing ointment.

She had started with the children first. For them, it was a mix of scrapes and bruises; nothing serious. Kagome smiled at that fact, sending prayers of gratitude to the gods. From there, she moved to the women. Most of the injured adult demons protested a filthy human touching them in any way. The trickiest of cases would swipe or kick at her with whatever was available. Kagome had gotten quite good at bobbing and weaving over the years of dealing with uncooperative patients so she managed to come out relatively unscathed. Even amongst humans, some people were just that stubborn about accepting help. These demons were injured in various ways too so their speed and accuracy was diminished at least a little. She also endured countless tirades of insults but their slander fell on deaf ears. After one demon was seen to, she moved deftly to the next.

Once in awhile, she would notice the large brown wolf in her periphery vision. What was he here for? He seemed to be watching her and it made her shiver a bit initially. His golden eyes followed her as she bounced from one howling wolf demon to another. Scrutinizing every action. What would he do if she did something he didn't approve of? How was she to know _what_ _not to do_ so she wouldn't end up in those teeth? Was this what Kouga had told him to do before this gauntlet started? She had thought Kouga was giving instructions to him but in a tongue she couldn't understand. Was it some kind of 'wolf-ese'? It sounded animalistic.... like a rumble or growl. She couldn't reflect on this too long though as she still had a long way to go before everyone was helped. She had a large, man-eating wolf as a babysitter that could chomp her down at any given moment without warning and she had to keep performing despite his presence creeping her out.

She sat down at a makeshift desk with a mortar and pestle once again to grind more ointment. Thankfully, the grand majority of the injured just needed this ointment, then some leaves to act as bandages. The ointment was a tried and true concoction that she had made so many times, she could make it in her sleep. The dislocations were trickier to handle as the patient was usually uncooperative. Even when she got the bone to go back in the socket, the person would still lash out, trying to hurt her as if their predicament was somehow her fault. After some struggling, Kagome would find an opening to slip a sling or a splint on the newly set limb or bone.

Lastly, she came upon the men that were injured....tonight?....or was it last night now? There was no way to tell as the interior of this room and surrounding tunnels were lit by torches. Kagome wiped another bead of sweat off her forehead and took a grateful drink of water from a convenient fresh water spring that ran near the makeshift desk. There must be some underground wells running through these mountains. She peered over her shoulder at her “shadow”. Yep, he was still there. Watching. She had thought to offer him some water as a peace offering, maybe convince him in some small way that she wasn't food. Leaning forward a bit over the small spring, she cupped her hands and turned slowly to face him. She extended her cupped hands full of cool water to him and offered a small smile that she hoped communicated that she was trying to make nice. The wolf remained in his spot stoically, though one ear twitched to the side.

“Um, would you like some water?” Kagome inched a bit closer on her knees, hoping to entice him to accept her gift.

After a few more inches, a growl began emanating from his throat and his ears flattened some. It was so unexpected that Kagome fell back on her rear, water spilling on the cave floor. 'Uh-oh! Is he gonna hurt me now?!' she began to panic even though her actions hardly seemed worthy of reprimand.

The wolf padded forward towards her, then by her and finally past her, next to the running spring. He dipped his head and began lapping up the refreshing waters of the mountains. Kagome merely watched as he drank exactly what she had offered just moments ago. After a few minutes, he had his fill, licked his lips and returned to sitting in his original spot.

“What? It's fine drinking from the stream but coming from me it's unacceptable?” she looked at him incredulously.

The wolf merely sat and stared at her, offering no semblance of an answer.

“How racist of you,” Kagome grumbled, her lips drawn into a tight line, folding her arms in annoyance.

She was only offering him a drink for kami's sake! It was a kindness! A hope to build some kind of rapport....but it seems he has no interest in doing that.

He continued to sit opposite her, unfazed by any words or show of discontentment. After another beat, he gestured over his shoulder with his head as if indicating that there was still work to do.

At this, Kagome sighed,” Yes, yes, I know. My work isn't done yet.”

She began to see to the men injured at the village.

'Debating and being ordered around by a wolf....I have reached a new low...' she thought dejectedly.

The injuries for the raid party were more complicated than all of the other cases she had seen so far that...night?....day?...she honestly didn't know. They had a combination of physical and reiki induced wounds. The wounds made by exposure to reiki look identical to burns made by fire but instead of red and black edges, there was pulsing pinkish/purple from where the holy power burnt the skin. As a fellow priestess, she knew she could simply touch the reiki wounds and siphon the energy off, taking it into herself and adding the energy to her own or dispersing it into the earth. Either choice resulted in the person's natural energy returning to balance. She instantly felt uneasy about that idea. Energy manipulation was something only holy practitioners, shamans or witches traditionally learned. Average humans _could_ learn how to do it but it was rare as the skill needed a level of understanding most were unwilling to invest the time into and the person needed a natural born talent for working with energy in the first place. Using this technique may blow her cover of being a simple human healer.

Another method was to use a piece of pure, refined gold as it was an excellent conductor of any type of energy. She had a small gold charm that a metal worker made for her as payment one time that she was summoned to another village to help with his very sick son. A soft smile graced her lips as she remembered receiving the charm. It was a circle with multiple intricate cherry blossoms on a branch inside, reaching from one edge of the circle to the opposite side. It truly was a beautiful piece of work. Initially, she had refused such an incredible gift, thinking that he could sell that piece of jewelry for a good price in the market, but the boy's father insisted that she take it. He said that the good health of his little boy meant more to him than all the money in Japan. Ever since then, Kagome had carried that charm with her always.....save for the present....That gold piece was still among her things in one of the bags attached to her horse's saddle. Come to think of it....what had happened to her horse? Once Kouga threw her into the caves, literally, she had not seen or heard mention of her companion.

'They probably ate him and raided my belongings...' she thought somberly.

Well, it was down to the first option of laying hands on the wounds, then. She approached the one with short grey hair with a black spot in the front first. Up until this point, almost every demon in this room made a move to hurt her as soon as she got close. She was wary this one would strike out at her too. He was in a lot of pain; his features scrunched up uncomfortably and she could hear a canine sort of whine through his clenched teeth. She found herself genuinely wanting to help this man; despite his demonic heritage. It was in her nature to help those suffering with illness or pain. Using that unstoppable drive, she sat quietly next to him and prompted him to remove his clawed hands from his stomach as it was the largest most serious of his wounds. He opened his eyes and began to snarl in warning but she could also see pain and desperation in those eyes.

“Please remove your hands so I can see your wounds. I'm here to help you feel better,” she spoke softly to him with a warm smile. “I promise that I won't hurt you. If you let me help you, then you will recover a lot faster,” she added while holding direct eye contact with him.

In her practice as a priestess, she knew it important to make eye contact with those she was trying to help. This was to help foster trust and it also helped her see and understand more about the person. The eyes are the windows into a person's soul after all. Keeping that in mind, she did what she could to communicate through her own eyes to let him know that she meant no harm and she only wanted to help.

The man continued to snarl, “ Back off you bitch,” he grunted lowly.

His wounds were just about intolerable. It felt like his skin and innards were on fire. No; worse than fire. He had been burnt by fire before and it didn't feel THIS bad or last THIS long. Why hadn't his demonic healing abilities kicked in yet?! He had never been hurt by holy energy until now. If it weren't for his injured state and Kouga's direct order not to touch her, he would've slashed this girl to ribbons in seconds and then feasted on her. He would share her with his buddy and fellow beta, Hakkaku, along with a stiff drink. Out of respect for his leader's orders, he would refrain from touching her but that didn't mean he would allow her to touch _him._

“If you don't let me help you, then you will be in great pain for who knows how long,” Kagome pressed softly, still smiling warmly at him. “Let me help you,” she leaned a bit closer to him, “please?”.

Ginta kept searching her features for signs of deceit and was puzzled to find none. Still, no way would he trust a human....but the searing pain of his wounds was getting tougher and tougher to endure. Reluctantly and slowly, he lowered his hands to his side, allowing her access to his burnt torso. He watched her carefully as her face shifted from one of 'kindness' to one of sadness, eyebrows drawing upwards and mouth downturning, bottom lip slightly caught in her blunt teeth. She looked him over thoroughly before meeting his watchful, suspicious gaze again.

“I'm so sorry,” she spoke softly once more but in a heavy tone and her eyes looked a bit moist.

'The hell....? Is she feeling sorry for me?' Ginta cautiously wondered in his mind.

He had never witnessed a human showing an iota of kindness or compassion for one of his kind. Far as he knew, humans were vain, stupid and weak. They easily sacrificed each other if it meant there was some benefit up for grabs be it money, land, mates or food. What was this one's deal? He had no idea what to think of her back at the village he and his fellow wolves failed to raid. Truth be told; he hadn't really had the time to wonder about some stupid human girl. His injuries were pretty bad and painful then just as they are now. He didn't even know the status of his comrades and Hakkaku since he was preoccupied with his own problems. How bad off were they? Hakkaku, he could tell, was next to him as he could easily pick out his whining voice against all of the others. With a little concentration, he could pick out the sounds of the other men and animals he was with. At least everyone was here.

“Ow! Hey! Watch it!” his attention was back on the human girl now as she placed a hand on his torso. The touch on an open raw wound brought a new level of stinging pain.

“I'm sorry, I just need to place my hand here...” Kagome placed her hand in the center of his wound on his torso and focused her energy to direct the reiki out of his body.

She placed her other hand on the cave floor for the energy to disperse into. Within moments, Ginta felt a strange, warm tickle-like sensation spread throughout his body. The stinging burn that he had been dealing with for hours was dissipating slowly. He watched the girl with cautious fascination as his pain dwindled until it disappeared completely from his stomach. He sat up on his elbows looking over his stomach. It looked like a typical burn made from a fire instead of having glowing pink and purple strewn throughout. It was nothing short of miraculous! What did the girl do? He watched even closer as she moved to his other reiki burns. Each had the same result and it seemed like his own accelerated healing was finally kicking in. After getting all of the reiki out of his body, Kagome began applying her trusty herbal ointment after motioning for him to lay back down. For the large burn on his stomach, she carefully placed a large leaf to act as a bandage.

“It's very important that you rest now, okay? You will heal faster if you do,” she smiled at him again. Ginta watched in silence as she left to now help Hakkaku. He still couldn't explain what just happened right now other than the worst burn pain he had ever experienced disappeared like magic. Was she some kind of witch or something? Far as he could tell, she just smelt like a human. Flowers colored her whole scent but still human all the same. He paid rapt attention as she went through similar motions with his friend. Would the same thing happen again? Hakkaku resisted her requests to help him too, growling, baring his teeth and trying to shove her away. She smiled at him and explained why he needed to let her help. Hakkaku was in his own world of extreme pain and she respected that. He had a broken ankle and several reiki burns in various places on his arms and legs only since he had a larger chest plate than Ginta had.

Just like with Ginta, the human managed to coax Hakkaku to let her tend to his wounds. Once again, she placed a hand on the wound and the other hand on the ground. After several minutes, the reiki that tainted Hakkaku's body was erased. Also, just like Ginta, Hakkaku sat up in disbelief, not comprehending what the girl did to erase that horrible burning pain. She applied herbal paste and bandages where needed, splinted his ankle and then moved onto the next person. Both men looked at each other; identical looks of confusion evident on their faces. They looked at Kouga's wolf almost as if he should have an explanation. Of course, he didn't offer anything aside from a short grunt and scratched his ear with a hind paw. Both boys watched the human work and interact with their other injured comrades for a bit longer before the exhaustion of recent events finally caught up with them and each fell asleep.

It wasn't until that last person had been treated that Kagome finally plopped down at the desk and exhaled a deep sigh of exhaustion. How many had she treated? She managed to get everyone, right? It was getting harder to function after going through this seemingly endless gauntlet. Fatigue was catching up with her but she wasn't sure if she could allow herself to fall asleep. Even though she had treated everyone, there was still additional care to perform for those that had more serious injuries such as bandages to change and slings to check. She drew her legs to her in a self hug, grateful for any tiny bit of comfort she could find. The large brown wolf was next to her; as always.

“Don't you ever sleep?” she grumbled in his general direction. He merely exhaled a large yawn in response.

“Hmph, you said it,” she set her chin on her knees.

Her body felt sluggish, heavy and in great need of rest but the idea of letting her guard down around a bunch of wolf demons, injured or not, was a very unattractive one. Her 'babysitter' might be instructed to kill or eat her too if she fell asleep for all she knew. So she did whatever she could to keep busy and in a room full of injured, there were usually bandages to change or new salve to apply.

* * *

Eventually, Kouga wandered back into the recovery wing, certain it was time to allow his wolf to have a human-sized snack. He surmised it had been roughly 3 days now since the girl arrived. In fact, he had forgotten all about the human and it wasn't until he saw some of the teens gnawing on what was left of her horse that he remembered that there was even a human here in his den at all. With that recall of memory came the one about that ridiculous deal his beast had made with her. He hadn't forgotten about his comrades. Whether she was successful in healing them or not, they would recover eventually thanks to their enhanced demonic healing ability. It was merely a matter of time of protecting the den until they all got back on their feet.

The alpha's entry was immediately noticed by all in the wing, his authoritative energy quieting and simultaneously drawing attention to his presence. Kouga surveyed all of his pack mates in the room wordlessly. Several members, he noticed, had left already, most likely because they were healed already. Others wore bandages, a strong smelling herbal salve, a sling or some combination of the three. Those that remained in the room seemed in much better shape than when he saw them three days ago. Even his men that had been badly hurt by holy weapons looked significantly better. The animals that were hurt that night were comfortably lying down alongside the men, wrapped with bandages in various places. Next, he looked at his wolf that he had left to watch over things, his gaze silently demanding a status report. The wolf sat there, scratching his ear with a hind paw, before lying down with a yawn. Apparently, he had nothing of import to relay aside from the fact that the job was done.

Lastly, the alpha's sharp stoic gaze landed on the human girl. He walked over to where his betas were recovering, eyes from the pack following him closely. She was sitting neatly on her feet in between Ginta and Hakkaku's straw beds. He could see there were bags developing under her eyes, her long raven hair was disheveled, numerous green stains dotted her clothes, face and even in her hair. 'Exhaustion' didn't seem to qualify her haggard appearance properly but who cared about that?

Without turning around to face the rest of the room, he finally spoke, “If you're not bleeding or broken...” which was the entire population of the recovery wing by now, “ then return to your duties.”

Within moments, a major shuffling of feet and paws saw the recovery wing emptied save for Ginta, Hakakku, Kouga, Kagome and the large brown wolf.

Kouga turned his icy blue eyes onto his seconds-in-command still sitting on the beds of straw, “That includes both of you too,” he added with a slight narrowing of his eyes.

Both males looked at each other, hesitance evident on their faces. The fact still remained that they were the ones in charge of the group that botched the raid on that village. Not only did they fail to steal anything of value, but they lost a fight to a bunch of humans, failed to protect the men and wolves they commanded and everyone came back in really rough condition. They knew that their number was up now that they were just about completely healed. Neither wanted to think about what kind of punishment their leader might have in store for them.

“No, they can't leave this place yet,” Kagome moved to stand at her laughably full height of 5'4”, “they need a little more time to make a full recovery.”

Both betas stared wide-eyed at the woman that stood a full foot shorter than their leader in shock. Nobody......NOBODY had ever talked back to Kouga like that.....well, at least nobody that lived to tell the tale....

Kagome's mind was screaming in terror. Had she lost her mind?! She really shouldn't be speaking against such a powerful creature that can kill her in seconds flat! Her life was in his hands...or...claws? She is, for all intents and purposes, a slave or servant to this demon.....but her desire to care and defend those that needed help overrode her fear...and unfortunately, her logic. Ever since she was a young child, she was that kid that stood up to bullies that picked on smaller kids. As a teenager, she trained with a bow to repel brigands and help defend her village. As an adult, she purified dark, unholy energies, exorcised demons and healed the sick or wounded so that her fellow humans could live peacefully.

She stood squarely in front of Kouga now, righteous defiance burning in her tired eyes. She hoped she was intimidating or at least appeared strong. A nagging voice warned her that she merely looked rough right now rather than tough. She forced that thought aside as she kept her hazel gaze transfixed on azure blues.

Kouga's eyes narrowed once again, “This isn't a debate, human,” he spoke with a low snarl.

Both alpha and human silently squared off with each other a few more moments before Kagome bent down, breaking their visual battle, and applying a final round of herbal salve. Neither Ginta nor Hakkaku could believe what they just witnessed. A human, of all beings, had spoken against their leader! It was rapidly getting very uncomfortable in that room and the great expanse seemed suddenly claustrophobic. Somehow, the girl carried on applying the salve carefully, as she had before, and wished them well. As soon as she was done, they raced out of there. Who knew what Kouga would do in answer to such disobedience? Thanks to that faux pas though, any punishment that they may have had coming just might have been forgotten about.

Kouga watched them run off faster than he had ever seen them run. He made a mental note that they could be pushed much further on patrols than what they previously had shown. He turned again to the human girl. She was sitting on her feet on the cave floor again, looking about somewhat aimlessly, suddenly with nothing to do. Her defiance aside; she _had_ done what he ordered her to. Everyone that was injured in the tribe was healed and the pack was back at full strength. His beast may have had a point that this girl could help his pack by becoming their healer. If it weren't for this truth, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill her with a swipe of his claws and feed her to his wolf. This...deal...that the beast had made with the girl might actually be lucrative. Maybe she could be of use to him and his ambitions.

“Come with me,” he ordered as he strode out of the recovery wing.

He spoke so suddenly, she was momentarily startled before running to catch up with his long stride, stumbling over some rocks in the process. Her fatigue made it much more difficult to remain coordinated. Of course, he just kept moving regardless and Kagome had to speed walk in order to keep up with him. The large brown wolf padded after them as well, bringing up the rear and effectively sandwiching Kagome in between them.

* * *

'This is a bad idea,' played on repeat in Kouga's mind as he marched deep into the caves.

Keeping this girl around was bound to be more than trouble than she was worth, regardless of what her abilities were. Solving the problem of not having a dedicated pack healer opened a whole new can of worms. His pack would take issue with her presence in the caves. His beast seemed convinced that it was worth the risk. Could he be overthinking the whole thing? He IS the leader of the tribe after all and his word is law. He had spent the first half of his first year as the new leader establishing his authority. After making it damn clear that he was the strongest and most vicious of them all, he had earned his pack's respect and loyalty; mainly out of fear. His intellect and ability to plan kept him apprised of any possible uprisings and, therefore, they were crushed before they could gain any kind of foothold. It was because of this total dominance that things ran relatively smoothly in the pack.

With that thought in mind, he began mentally running through the logistics of keeping a human slave. Humans had notoriously short lives thanks to their fragility and weakness. Far as he understood, humans had an average life expectancy of a paltry 30 – 70 years; hardly a blink of the eye compared to demonic lifespans numbering in centuries and beyond. He could have her sleep in the recovery wing since that would be where she would be spending most of her time anyway, along with his wolf companion to keep an eye on things. Would his wolf be enough protection though to ensure that she wasn't killed prematurely though? Despite how absolute his authority was in the pack, one of his men or women might still slice her throat, not out of defiance, but out of sheer loathing for her kind. An order to not touch or kill her might not be enough....The thought crawled into his mind like a cockroach as he reflected on the numerous small scratches he had observed on her arms, clothes and face. Those scratches must've come from the injured back in the recovery wing. He might have to do more to ensure her safety from his men. Wasting any more energy on the human made him wrinkle his nose and forehead in disgust. The prospect of keeping a human slave was getting more unattractive by the moment. Still, she had gotten the tribe back on their feet physically. With his ranks back to full, he could finally plan and execute a counter-attack to put those damn turkeys in their place!

During the day, his wolf would probably be sufficient to keep her safe as everyone had chores and tasks to do. The problem was the night. The recovery wing was sorta out of the way from the main tunnels. Enough of his men band together, they could spill her blood, regardless of his wolf being there, and she would be useless to him. The only way to truly ensure she lived out her life of servitude to him would be to have her sleep in his room at night, as nobody but him and his wolf were allowed in there. The thought of sharing his private space with a lowly human turned his stomach and made him inwardly groan. Try as he might; he couldn't think of anywhere in the caves that was safer for her to be at night.

'This is a bad idea,' he mentally reaffirmed to himself.

In an effort to keep herself calm, because Kouga seemed to be deep in thought and hadn't said another word to her since leaving the recovery wing, Kagome observed the passing surroundings as much as possible. The dark rocky tunnels were illuminated by torches of some kind every now and again. The flames on these torches looked different from any fire she had previously seen. They blazed and radiated heat as well as light but the flame bodies were a supernatural mix of blues and violets and a bit of white. What were these unnatural flames? Some kind of faerie fire? So little was known about demons, aside from weaknesses, that anything goes at this point. She didn't get to wonder about it too long before the group came upon a solid looking wooden door. A door like this seemed greatly out of place in such rustic settings. Just where were they going? More importantly, what was behind this door?

Kouga opened the door quickly with a low growl and the large brown wolf pushed on Kagome's back, effectively shoving her into the room, and then Kouga shut the door just as quickly.

* * *

“H-hey! I said I can walk just fine on my own,” Kagome objected.

She wasn't a head of livestock to be shoved or moved around whenever wherever. The large wolf continued to push her until she stumbled near a large regal bed. The sight of it took her attention and ended her beginning ire at the pushy wolf. Kouga launched into a long list of...something....she was unable to focus with so much to see in this new room. Now that she looked around; this room was quite fancy and comfortable compared to what she had seen so far in the caves. There was actual furniture in here, a very large inviting bed, a hearth with a fire going - ......

“HEY! I'm talking to you, human!” a very annoyed Kouga was now in her face and breaking her out of her fascination with the room's décor.

“Gasp! I-I'm listening!”Kagome straightened up, stiff as a board, suddenly remembering that she was in a very precarious situation deep in a den of wolf demons.

Kouga started in again on....well, she wasn't really sure, actually, as fatigue was weighing very heavily on her now and his words were falling on deaf ears. How long had it been since she started that marathon of healing? It had to be at least a couple of days or more, going on how exhausted she felt. As Kouga went on with whatever he was talking about, she felt her knees buckle and she sank into the bed with a sigh. She marveled at how decadent and soft it was and the silk sheets looked so inviting. Further up the bed, a large pillow called her name clearer than any siren ever could.

“-....and that concludes what I expect of you from here on out. If you defy or disobey me again, you will be punished and don't think for a second I'm letting you off from that little stunt you pulled back in the....recovery....wing....” Kouga finally turned around, stopping his rambling off of the orders for Kagome to find she was fast asleep......ON HIS BED OF ALL PLACES! Not only had she failed to hear his very clear and direct orders once but twice in a row now! The nerve! Such willful insubordination! How dare she not heed his words with rapt attention as he deserved! To top the whole thing off, his wolf was curled up at the side of the bed next to her, his nose buried in his tail and body cocooned in a nest of furs. Nobody was paying him proper respect.

Gritting his teeth in seething anger, Kouga barely managed to step back and sit in his chair near the fireplace. The chair was just as regal as the bed, with a high back, hardwood in construction and plush cushioning. His claws scratched grooves into the hardwood of the chair arms as if they were hot knives cutting through butter. He closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. He had a bad habit of misjudging his strength against those weaker than himself. If he moved to punish her now, he most likely would end up killing her. It would mean just an inconvenient red puddle to clean up but it would also mean he couldn't make use of her talents for himself or the pack. Humans were irritatingly fragile after all. So....he wouldn't punish her physically....perhaps he could simply get even instead. He curled a finger around his chin as wheels began turning quickly, grinning mischievously, plotting out various ways of achieving this goal. There was an interesting challenge in disciplining a willful slave w/o using physical force. This could be fun and she would learn who was in charge around here.

He looked up at the girl sleeping soundly on his bed again, his eyes wandering over her visage. He hadn't really looked at her closely until now what with everything that was going on being far more important. She had fair porcelain skin, long lashes that rested easily over rosy cheeks, long charcoal hair pulled back in a ponytail that rolled behind her in waves, a light grey kimono shirt that was haphazardly tucked into navy trousers and simple cloth boots. Not a terribly attractive girl in his opinion, quite plain actually.....yet, he found a strange peace in listening to the rhythmic beat of her heart and soft breathing that denoted deep sleep. The oddest thing about her was her scent. There was a heavy herby stench clinging to her. It was almost too pungent for his sensitive nose. Then there was the part that just smelled 'human' and that was offensive in its own right. Somewhere underneath it all though was something far more delicate but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It now occurred to him that he still had the problem of where _he_ was to sleep tonight. It annoyed him to hell that a human had outrageously commandeered his bed. An evil grin spread across his lips once again. She could have the bed tonight but only because he had his first devious plot in mind already. She seemed the stubborn sort so there was potentially plenty of fun to be had. He would break her and have her submitting to his authority in no time. He got comfortable in his chair, which was abundantly easy to do. Her education would start first thing in the morning.


	3. Kagome the slave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome begins her first full day of being Kouga's slave with an unexpected surprise. 
> 
> She spends the day trying to get her bearings in this strange new place while Kouga jokes at her expense and begins to explore how else she might be useful to him.

  
  


** ~Forest and Sky~ **

by Paw85

**Ch 3 – Kagome the Slave**

The sun's warm rays spilled gently over the mountains and forests that surrounded the den the next morning. The sentry, as per usual, was already awake, having stayed awake throughout the night keeping a guard on the den. Aside from them, the lullaby of the crashing waterfall, a couple of scratching, yawning wolves and the nearby chirping of birds, the cave was quiet and still.

Youkai in general didn't require much in terms of sleep and the same held true for the eastern wolf demon tribe. In their case, the caves fell silent at night as a matter of choice and somewhat a matter of wolfish nature. It was pack nature to eat together, hunt together, laugh, fight and sleep at roughly the same time, particularly when there was a lot of drinking going on which was the case at least half of the time. It was also a matter of socializing and bonding amongst pack mates.

Although they did much together, as wolves are known to do, there was also an element of independence during the course of the day. Between meals and other occasions, warriors sparred to keep up their fighting prowess, cubs played in the surrounding fields under the watchful eyes of their mothers, scouting parties kept an eye out for invasions of pack territory or for anything of note in general and various groups kept food or forage coming in to meet the needs of the pack as a whole. At the head of it all making it all work was the alpha. Everyone had a place and a task to perform and he made sure everyone pulled their weight. They all knew that the alpha's word was law. Those that didn't or refused to contribute were disciplined, banished or killed, depending on the situation. It was a strict system but it was efficient and worked very well.

* * *

Kouga didn't need to be kissed by the early morning rays in order to know that the sun had risen. It had been drilled into his head to rise with the sun dating back to his cub years. As per normal, he roused easily from his sleep but the view that welcomed him was anything but normal. First of all, he awoke in his chair by the fireplace. Now, his chair was just as regal as his bed and very comfortable. He had fallen asleep in it many times; whether it was for a nap or spending the whole night. Second of all, his alpha wolf was still snoring on the floor next to his bed. That mutt should've been ready to join some of his men and other wolves for a hunting party. However.....he was currently assigned to babysit....his cerulean eyes rose to find the third and final thing out of place....the human girl. His brows knitted into a grimace as he remembered what took place last night. The girl had healed his injured pack members and then rudely fell asleep while he was giving her the orders to carry out for the rest of her life servitude to him and his pack.

Then, he smirked as he remembered the vengeful thoughts he was letting unfurl in his mind as he made himself comfortable in his chair the previous night... 'Don't get mad, get even...'.

'Well, let's do something about that stench...' Kouga grabbed something from his chest, stalked back to the bed, roughly grabbed Kagome by the back of the shirt and carried her off into a tunnel that adjoined his room.

It was several steps before Kagome began to stir and rejoin the land of the living. One of her weak points was being a terrible morning person; preferring to rise around mid morning. It was several more steps before she realized the ground was moving....wait... _she_ was moving! But moving where!? And how-....?!

**Ker-splash!**

Kagome broke the surface of the steamy water, gasping and sputtering. She looked around wide-eyed at her surroundings....cave walls, a lit torch, a steamy pool and a very pompous looking wolf demon looking down on her. Then, the memories of the past several days came flooding back. It wasn't some nightmare...she truly was in a cave full of man-eating wolf demons....and she was to serve them and this asshole for the rest of her days.

“Heh, finally awake are you?” he smirked.

Then his brows furrowed in displeasure, “I hope you enjoyed my bed....because that'll be the last time you sleep on it...” he finished with a tight jaw and a bit of a snarl.

Clearly, someone wasn't big on sharing. All Kagome could do was stare at him dumbly, her mind still catching up with recent events. Kouga regarded her with slightly narrowed eyes, cocking an eyebrow in annoyance. What happened to the human? Did her tiny brain break?

“I know that I'm extremely handsome to gawk at and all but.....snap out of it!” he barked to break her out of whatever stupor she had going on.

That did the trick as she blinked and then raised an angry incriminating finger pointed straight at him, “DID YOU JUST THROW ME AGAIN?! HOW DARE YOU!”

Ah, anger. Well, it didn't matter what emotion she was feeling so long as she was now finally paying attention. She did have some vocal chords on her though. His ears were ringing a bit but that would go away in minutes. Kouga dropped the bundle he was carrying at the edge of the hot spring, effectively ignoring her outburst.

“This is what you'll be wearing from now on,” he gestured to what looked like a pile of fur on the floor. “Clean up and change into it,” he glared over his shoulder as he walked back through the tunnel and back to his room.

That hot spring was meant to be for his use only. The only reason he chose this body of water over any other was a matter of proximity and general laziness. Plus, it was satisfying to throw her in there. Her expression was priceless and the rage thereafter was sweet to savor. Serves her right for helping herself to his bed. Now, it remained to be seen if she would fall in line with his authority or if he would need to teach her some more. He returned to his chair and started a new fire, waiting to see what she would do. The large brown wolf was awake now, sitting up on his nest of furs. Kouga growled lowly at him. The wolf rose to his paws and padded to the hot spring. He still had the job of babysitting the human to do anyways, why not add another task?

'Looks like he won't be joining the hunting party for awhile...' Kouga mused.

There were many wolves in the caves so his wolf could probably keep to his task and everyone will still be fed. Now that he sat there in front of the gently burning fire, he wondered again if this was a good idea keeping a human slave around, even if she showed a bit of healing skill. His pack were wary of her and some certainly resented her presence in the caves. The scratches and bruises that he saw last night on her face and arms were evidence of that. Well, there was only one way to find out and that was to wait and see how things go.

* * *

'I can't believe he just threw me around again...and into more water no less!,' Kagome grumbled to herself ,' Honestly, did he have to dump me in here clothes and all?'.

After he had left, she undressed and folded her clothes neatly on the side of the hot spring. Soon, her upset melted away with the heavenly feeling of the warm water. She could tell it was a mineral spring by the scent of it. All aches and knots she had from working her butt off for several nights were slowly beginning to unwind. She would savor this reprieve because gods knew what that jerk had in store for her. She really had sworn life servitude to him and his pack hadn't she? At the time she made that gamble back in the village, she had merely been desperate to save her mother and the village. She was so focused on saving everyone with whatever she had that consequences were damned. Now that she was here though, she truly began to wonder and worry about what her future might hold. She dunked her head into the steamy waters, resurfacing moments later to a giant brown furball.

“Eyahh! Oh...it's you....-sigh-” she breathed to calm down her racing heart.

The big brown wolf from yesterday was watching her as per usual. He was perched like a statue at the spring's edge. He didn't acknowledge her in any way but instead picked up her clothes in his mouth and trotted back to Kouga's room.

“Hey! Wait a min-....those are mine!” she moved to chase after him before modesty chimed in and forced her to remain hidden in the murky water.

Where was he taking her clothes? Was she meant to strut around naked in these caves!? Then, she remembered that Kouga had left something next to her clothes that looked like a pile of fur. She waded over to it and picked it up.

'A...dress? A dress made of fur? What?' she was uncertain what to think about wearing this garment but it was all she had right now and she doubted that he would be in any mood for defiance.

She held up the dress in its entirety once she came fully out of the spring and set about putting it on. It wrapped around her figure like a kimono and had ties inside to secure it. It was sleeveless and had a plunging neckline. One could almost see the tops of her breasts in this thing! The dress cut down to just past her shoulder blades in the back but her long black hair could cover that. There was a slit going up to lower thigh on the side opposite the wraparound ties. This dress hardly seemed appropriate and reminded her of what prostitutes might wear but even their dresses didn't show off this much skin. Was she going to be a sex slave on top of everything? Red colored her cheeks at the horrid thought. Being touched by anybody in these caves with lascivious intentions sent shivers up her spine.

'Oh! My clothes! I have to find where that wolf went!' she suddenly remembered and ran back to Kouga's room in search of the furry beast.

Said beast was sitting next to his master by the fireplace with his usual piercing golden gaze. Her neatly folded clothes in his master's lap.

“About time you finished..” Kouga began with irritation.

Seriously, how long did it take to just get clean? As he suspected, the fur dress fitted her well enough as his last healer was roughly her size. The garment was something his last healer had left behind. Now that all of the blood, grime and scent of medicinal herbs were washed off her, the delicate scent from before came forward in full force. Flowers.....tons of them....the scent seemed to transport him to the largest field of flowers underneath an infinitely blue clear sky and warm sunshine. Yes...she smelled like a perfect day in spring. Kouga wasn't one to frolic or enjoy things like flower fields or warm sunshine. Even when he was a cub, he never partook of such things. No...back then he was too busy 'training' with his father in the depths of the dark caves of the north....A twinge of discomfort began to sound and thus he shook himself free of the memory. That was a piece better left buried in the deepest recesses of his mind.

Kagome stood in front him, somewhat wary. It was time she finally learned her place in the scheme of things around here.

“As you know, we have a deal in place,” he began all business-like, “ You will serve me and the pack for the rest of your days as healer and do whatever else I can think of. In exchange, we will leave that village of yours alone (until she died, anyway). Do as you are ordered to and you may live to a ripe old age. Disobey me and you will be disciplined.....or I may just crush that village,” he smirked while cocking a brow, daring her to challenge him in any way. It had been made clear that she had a fiery spirit and he was intent on dousing that fire.

“From now on,” he continued,” you will report back here every night for sleep. Your bed is over there,” he gestured to his wolf's nest on the floor next to the bed.

Kagome followed his gesture with her eyes before they fell on a messy heap of furs on the floor. 'With the wolf? I get to sleep with the dog on the floor?' Kagome's mouth fell slightly open before turning a grimace of disbelief back to Kouga.

“Yes, I'm being serious,” Kouga scoffed with annoyance and a roll of his eyes,” The floor is good enough for a human. You should be thanking me. I could make you sleep elsewhere in the caves or outside if you prefer. Putting you in here was the best way to ensure your throat isn't slashed open during the night. I plan to get what use out of you I can. You are not to tell anyone that you're staying in this room.”

“Why not?” the words spilled out of Kagome's mouth before her brain could tell her to keep her mouth shut. She was genuinely curious but began to regret it instantly when Kouga's expression turned icy.

“Because I told you not to,” he spoke evenly while rising from his chair.

He then took the clothes that Kagome had changed out of and tossed them into the fireplace. Immediately, they began to catch fire. Kagome made to step towards them before Kouga moved in front of her, effectively blocking her as the clothes burned.

“Get this through your head, human: You belong to me now. I give you orders, you follow them,” he was towering over her and the backlighting of the fire blazing behind him somehow made him look even more intimidating, “Got it?”

Kagome squared her shoulders and met his steely gaze with one of her own. This display of authority was really rubbing her the wrong way. None of this was necessary! They have a deal in place don't they? All she needed to know were directions and rules and she would do her best to retain her dignity while she carried out whatever tasks he had in mind. She fervently hoped that 'sex slave' wasn't on that list.

“Yes, I understand,” she answered just as evenly as he spoke earlier.

It was clear to see that she was going to be a tough nut to crack. Her hazel eyes were dancing with defiance. He had to begrudging admit again that this human had guts. No human had managed to make eye contact with him before. If he had the misfortune of having to interact with a human, all they did was cry, cower in fear and might manage a task or two before being devoured. Even his own pack members feared to make prolonged eye contact as it could be taken as a challenge. This girl here was indeed challenging him but in a different way. Far as he was concerned; she was welcome to defy him if she dared. He could come up with punishments and extra chores all day long. Either way, he would win this game and she would submit to his authority.

“Come on, then,” he turned to walk to the door as if to leave.

Kagome spared one last longing glance at the fireplace, her last connection to the human world burning to ashes before catching up to him, large brown wolf trotting after her. As they walked through the tunnels, she resolved that she wouldn't be broken by this bastard or any of his awful pack. She would find ways to thrive, make her life easier and find reasons to genuinely smile from her heart. The best way to win against a bully was to show them that they could not affect you after all.

* * *

The group eventually made it back to the what she assumed must by the main cave. She recognized this room with its many small fires and the large waterfall covering the entrance to the cave. A light shiver reverberated throughout her body remembering how cold that water was when that jerk unceremoniously tossed her through it.

The unpleasant memory was interrupted by a gruff, “Sit there,” and a quick hand gesture to direct her to wherever 'there' was. Kagome moved to sit and watched Kouga and his wolf continue their path forward.

'Sit here and do what?' she mentally pondered as she watched their retreating forms.

It seemed to be mealtime from what she could observe. There were many groups of various wolf demons sitting around the fires and the animals were scattered about. The groups seemed to be cliques...some were made up of women, some of of men, a group of mothers with children and a group or two of what she assumed were youkai equivalents of teenagers. The discussions were lively as everybody sat together eating. Sometimes, one group would yell back to another group on the other side of the room. It was very familial and Kagome couldn't help but watch in fascination.

As interesting as it was to discover such a similarity to her own kind, she suddenly felt a sharp pang of loneliness. Seeing everyone around her eating, enjoying and interacting together while she watched from afar brought her right back to her childhood. She was a priestess acolyte growing up so it was rare for her to be able to go play with any of the village kids. Her studies into healing and miko training took the grand majority of her time. While she was training to one day be a priestess, she used to watch the other kids run about, play, have adventures, share snacks and laugh. Kaede did her best to help Kagome feel and believe that she was never alone. The path of a priestess was a tough and lonely one after all. Whenever Kaede went to comfort her, Kagome would smile warmly back at her saying that she was content to study hard and become the best priestess Japan had ever seen. From the tender age of 5 years old and thereafter; she would say the same to Kaede over and over anytime she worried about Kagome being lonely or that the path of the priestess might ask too much of her. Kagome did feel lonely from to time but she was determined to follow in her birth mother's inspirational footsteps and she had a natural gift for the practice. Seeing others be safe and happy filled her heart with joy. Helping folks recover from an injury or illness made any loneliness or hardship worth it. Shielding the defenseless against youkai and other malignant forces gave her purpose.....

That part about defending others against youkai giving her purpose was going to get interesting from here on out wasn't it? She is now 'apart' of a whole pack of them....well, so to speak. And...she wasn't exactly alone either as her lupine babysitter had returned to her side, chomping on a large piece of meat with what looked like a femur bone sticking out of it. She watched him make short work of the mound of meat with his ample sharp teeth. How is it possible to simultaneously lose your appetite and feel like you're starving? Kouga had to know that she needed to eat to live....right? Right? She could see him sitting on a raised rock bed, eating his fill of food and drink, saké she assumed, since it reeked of alcohol in these caves. Several women seemed to be tending to any possible need he could have. Isn't that something _she_ should be doing?....being his slave and all? Not that she was complaining. She definitely did NOT need to deal with HIM any more than absolutely necessary. Strangely though, she observed that he didn't seem to like the attention from the women as he would look annoyed whenever one of them came close. Curious..... as she had pegged him the type to love being waited on hand and foot.

Her musings were interrupted as something dropped in front of her with a **plop.** The big brown wolf had left her side again at some point and returned with a cut of raw bloody meat. She looked down at the slab of meat, now partially covered in dirt and wolf drool and felt her tummy roll over in the most uncomfortable way.

“Um...is this....for me?” she asked quietly, voice shaking slightly from the grisly offering in front of her.

The wolf merely sat there. Was he expecting her to eat this...? There were several kinds of wrong going on here! What the hell!?

Kagome looked to the side, placed a delicate hand over her mouth, her face tinged in green, “I...can't eat this. It's raw, dirty....and it's already been in your mouth...”.

She couldn't look at it....it was absolutely disgusting! After a few moments of silence, she heard a chomping noise and she knew that that the wolf must've chowed down on it. Thank goodness....maybe her stomach could settle back down now. Still, that left her with the issue of needing to eat something....wait....where did he go? The wolf had disappeared again. She began scanning around the cave for where he went. In moments, she caught sight of him again as he padded back over to her with some kind of bundle in his mouth. He stopped in front of her, as if waiting for her to do something. Kagome carefully reached out and took the sack from his mouth and looked inside to find a new cut of meat. It was still raw but at least it was clean! She could work with this....she just needed a fire and something to cook the meat with....Looking around; all of the fires had demons sitting around them. Maybe she just needed to wait for everybody to finish eating and then she could finally cook some food? She looked back at the brown wolf with a strained smile and secured the sack closed.

“Thank you very much but it looks like I'm going to have to wait just a bit longer to eat. Still, I'm impressed with you! To think you would find a way of bringing clean meat to me. You're very clever,” she genuinely smiled and giggled a bit at him.

He blinked, cocking his head a bit to the side and his large brown tail flicked a little. Watching him react only served to make her giggle again. Seemingly satisfied that the human didn't reject the food this time, the wolf returned to sitting next to her. The minutes crept by as Kagome continued to watch “meal time”, her tummy rumbling every now and again. Eventually, the grand majority of the demons had moved on with their day, leaving the main cave fairly empty, save for a few small remaining groups. Kagome sighted a nearby fire that still had some life left in it. Just a bit further past it, left against the wall, was a well worn spear. She made to get up slowly so as not to attract attention, picked up the spear, rammed it's sharp end through the meat and set about cooking her own breakfast. She rotated the meat slowly, making sure to cook it thoroughly. Eating this meat was going to be tricky to say the least....the cut was rough and thick. If she had her trusty hunting knife then it would be much more manageable. From what she could tell earlier; the wolf demons didn't use any kind of cutlery. Instead, they used their no doubt sharp teeth, claws and ate directly from their hands. It was downright primitive.

Once satisfied that the meat was now safe to eat, Kagome brought it back towards her lap. Having not eaten in several days; it smelled divine! Then, all sense of propriety went out the window. She heartily tore into it as best as she could with her blunt human teeth, tearing small pieces off, the meat's juices dribbling down her chin. It was SO good! Even though it was hard to eat and had no seasoning; it was nothing short of amazing! She could feel herself getting a tad emotional over this meal! She mentally thanked the Gods for this good fortune despite her new circumstances as slave.

“Sheesh, it's just a cut a meat, not a bag of pearls,” came a familiar dismissive voice.

“Why did you have to ruin it by cooking it?” Kouga blanched as Kagome continued to chew her current bite of meat.

“Because...” she wiped her mouth and chin off, indelicately, “humans can't eat raw meat. I'll at least get sick or I could die. How will you 'get the most out of me' then?” she looked up through her lashes, refusing to completely meet his gaze. Kouga wasn't sure whether he was entertained or pissed off about her continual show of disrespect towards him. Still, that didn't mean that he was in any mood to deal with it.

“ Uh-huh. Well, get back to the medical cave,” he waved her off dismissively before leaving.

The large brown wolf rose to his paws and looked at her pointedly as he began walking back to the recovery wing. Kagome took the obvious hint and began following her babysitter but not without casting an annoyed glare at Kouga's retreating back first. As she followed the wolf, she took several deep breathes to calm herself. Staying centered and seemingly unmoved by others' actions towards her would keep her safe; she had thoroughly convinced herself. Instead, her attention was drawn to how rough the cave floors felt on her feet. Most of the time before now, she had sandals or something to wear on her feet and she rarely walked about barefoot save for bathing times or for pleasure. Walking over these rocky floors was nothing like the soft grasses or sands that she had experienced before. She made a mental note to fashion some simple shoes as soon as she could find the necessary materials. There were plenty of fur pelts around these caves. Maybe she could commandeer one that wasn't in use, locate some thread and a needle and make some slippers or just something to protect her feet. If only she could have gotten all of her belongings from her horse's saddle before the demons got to it! There was a simple sewing kit in the larger bag for when inevitable tears happened along her journeys. There was also a well used hunting knife, her bow and extra arrows, the metal charm for channeling energy and various other odds and ends. She resolved to find a way of procuring whatever tools she may need. She would make the best of things here in these awful caves and keep her village safe if it was the last thing she did!

* * *

In no time at all, she and the large brown wolf had returned to a very empty recovery wing. It had been filled to the brim with injured just days ago. Now, it was quite the mess from used bedding, spilled blood, herbal stains and even some scraps of leftover food. Kagome pondered in confusion for a moment over the food crumbs as she couldn't recall anybody having something to eat during that time. The whole thing was now an unpleasant blur so she dismissed any further attempts to remember.

“Hey! Girl!” a voice called out to her and she turned to see the two men from last night with bad reiki burns making their way over from the back of the room.

“Oh! Good morning! How are you both feeling? Your burns look a lot better,” she put on her best smile despite feeling wary of why they were here and, more importantly, were they here to harm her in some way?

Now that she had a better look at them, they seemed not much older than she was. Well, if their age was counted the same as human years, that is.

Both men stopped a few feet away from her in mild surprise. “Uh....um, we're doing much better,” the one with the strange white mohawk stammered a little, seemingly caught off guard by somebody caring to ask about their welfare.

“Yeah, the burns don't sting at all anymore,” his grey haired friend followed up with an awkward smile. It was as if everyone just realized what each person was in terms of species and an uncomfortable energy settled amongst the small group.

“I'm glad both of you are okay. Those burns were pretty bad,” Kagome spoke up after a beat in an effort to help break the ice.

Her statement seemed to help relax the tension as both men offered small smiles and chuckled a bit.

“Are you both here to have your wounds checked again? Or is there something else I can do to help you?” Kagome folded her hands in front of her with a smile. She had to continue breathing steadily and smiling to help keep the situation lite.

Both men blinked at her, identical blank expressions on their faces. “Oh, yeah, that might be a good idea!” the short grey haired one nodded while the one with the white mohawk rolled his eyes at his comrade’s silliness.

The whole interaction was so endearing that Kagome couldn't help but giggle and smile wide. “Well, then, please have a seat on one of the furs and I'll take a look,” she directed as she walked further into the room.

It only took moments to do a quick check-up on both men and Kagome was genuinely pleased to see their healing coming along so nicely. Neither one flinched when she touched them and both were spectacularly cooperative compared to the other night.

“We, uh, came in to thank you, actually,” the white mohawk guy confessed as his gaze dropped to the floor, “and....uh, apologize for how we acted that one time.” His grey haired friend was also rubbing the back of his neck in shame, also staring at the floor. Gratitude and an apology? These were things Kagome wasn't expecting or dared to hope for. It had been made so clear that humans were little more than dirt to the wolf demons. Maybe they weren't all the same? Just like not all humans were the same?

“Oh, consider it forgotten and both of you are welcome,” Kagome smiled genuinely, her heart filling with happiness that at least two demons in this place seemed to have manners and recognized her efforts. Both men looked up at her, smiling in relief.

“I'm Ginta,” the short grey haired one gestured at himself, “and this is my buddy, Hakkaku,” he pointed at the white mohawk guy, “We're Kouga's left and right hand men,” he finished with an air of pride. Kagome couldn't help but smile even more at the cute dimples that would show in Ginta's cheeks every time he cracked a grin. Hakkaku seemed a rough person at first glance but she was starting to see that both men had more to them than appearances would have her believe. Now that they were all smiling and conversing as if it was the most natural thing, she could pick up a similar energy between them. There was a strong bond between the two as well. Maybe they were brothers or perhaps just very close friends? Without even thinking about it, she relaxed and allowed the interaction to just unfold. Neither one seemed to have any ill intentions. In fact; they seemed pretty laid back. Maybe the three of them could even become friends? How fantastic that would be!

“I'm Kagome,” she placed a hand on her chest with a smile, “and...I...um, will probably be here awhile so I hope we can get along,” she finished with a nervous chuckle.

“Oh, yeah.....what _is_ your story?” Hakkaku leaned in with curiosity. Ginta also leaned in with rapt attention.

The presence of the human that wasn't for eating had been a hot topic for the past few days. All their leader had said so far regarding her was that none of them were to 'touch, kill or eat this.' A reason why hadn't been provided and, technically, he wasn't obligated to explain further but the whole pack was still buzzing over the matter. A lot of the pack didn't care about why she was here or why she couldn't be touched but were angry there was a human here at all. Anti-human sentiment was rife in the eastern pack. Bringing humans into their home that they could immediately eat was one thing....but purposely keeping one alive ruffled a lot of feathers. For the time being, none dared to raise an objection as everyone knew that the alpha's word was law and none felt brave enough to risk their own neck over a human of all things.

Kagome took a few moments to think of how she was to respond to Hakkaku's question. Was their deal meant to be a secret? Would she be punished for sharing about their arrangement? Should she make up a story? In the end, she had decided to go with the truth.....plus, she couldn't figure out even a half decent story/lie to tell them anyway.

“Well, I'm the new pack healer and Kouga's servant, I guess,” she explained softly as her eyes dropped to her lap.

“Ah! A human slave! We've never had one of those before,” Hakkaku exclaimed before Ginta whacked him upside the head.

“Ow! Dammit, what was that for?” he growled at his comrade.

Ginta answered him with a disapproving glare before silently gesturing to Kagome. A second later, understanding hit Hakkaku like a ton of rocks, “ Sorry....I didn't mean to...” he stammered as he tried to get his metaphorical foot out of his mouth.

Kagome offered a saddened smile, “No, it probably is more accurate to refer to me as a 'slave,'” and then she waved it off, “Don't worry about it; it is what it is.”

“So, that's why he's got Hayate following you around everywhere, huh?” Ginta opened a new topic to help ease the weird spot in the conversation.

“Huh? Hayate? Who's 'Hayate'?” Kagome blinked at him in confusion.

“The big brown furball that's been keeping very close to you,” Ginta pointed at the large brown wolf that was snoring next to her. “That's 'Hayate' and he's Kouga's wolf. He's also the alpha of the animals in the pack,” he further explained.

“Is he now?” Kagome couldn't help but feel impressed about the big brown wolf next to her. Up until now, he was just the furry babysitter that was always watching her. Not only was he that but he was a very high ranking wolf. The very top of the animal pack even!

“I actually don't know why he's always with me,” Kagome turned back to her newfound companions. “I think Kouga was speaking wolf to him to or something when he was giving the instructions.”

“Yeah, he probably told him to keep an eye on you. To....you know....make sure you didn't run away or something,” Hakkaku offered with a fangy grin.

“ **growl.....woof** ”

All three startled as the sounds came from Hayate, still lying on the floor with eyes closed.

“Huh. So that's it,” Hakkaku hummed thoughtfully.

“What did he say?” Kagome asked, looking back and forth between Hakkaku and Hayate.

“I was half right,” Hakkaku started, “He _is_ here to ensure you don't run away. He's also here to ensure you follow orders and if you don't, then he has orders to kill you,” he finished matter-of-factly.

“Great...” Kagome's head fell with a heavy sigh. At least that's one mystery solved....

“Speaking of orders,” Ginta stood to his feet, “we should get going. We have our own orders to follow.”

“Yeah, see 'ya, Kagome,” Hakkaku also rose to his feet and both men left the recovery wing at a half run.

Kagome waved at their retreating backs, sorry to see them go. She would've enjoyed a few more minutes of conversation with them. Anything to help distract her from the new slave life that she was embarking on. She heaved a lite sigh and set about organizing the cave. There weren't any people to help so she might as well get things in order. Plus, she would need to go over what supplies she had on hand. Making her way over to the makeshift desk, she saw a very familiar burlap sack. She undid the knot and peered inside to find several of her treasured possessions that she had thought to be lost! Here was her hunting knife, over there her sewing kit and at the bottom of the sack was the small gold metal charm that she had worried over while healing the wounded! Several of her items were still missing but she felt deeply grateful that some of them made it back to her. How did they get here? Did Ginta or Hakkaku rescue her affects as a way of apology for trying to hurt her the other day? Honestly, it didn't matter how they got here. All that mattered was that they were back in her hands. Today has turned into a very lucky day! Kagome smiled widely to herself. What a relief! Maybe now she could set about making the best of her situation being a slave in the wolf demons' den. Maybe things won't be so bad after all!

Her excitement began to dampen as she took stock of her healing supplies. Her stores were basically empty....'I guess I should've expected that....there were so many that needed treatment recently...' she mused to herself.

There was only one way to replenish supplies and that was to go foraging outside. Even though she did her best to take in her surroundings on the trek here, she still had very little idea of where she was. She had more pressing matters on her mind like if she was going to be eaten the next moment. Going by the stars she saw that night, she was definitely east of her village. Maybe northeast. Little was known about these mountains because they were wolf demon territory. If anybody traveled there, they usually didn't return.

What was growing around here? Could she find what she needed around here? What if she couldn't? She knew there were woods nearby and running water. These caves were in a higher altitude than she was used to. Maybe she'll find herbs up here that she hasn't seen before? And the most critical question: would His Highness allow her to go out gathering? All thoughts stopped for a moment at that question. Kouga didn't seem like the cooperative type and he obviously didn't trust her if he assigned Hayate to keep an eye on her...and kill her if she steps out of line...

'Well, nothing gained by sitting here worrying about it,' she decided as she grabbed the burlap sack, satchel and rose to leave the medical cave.

* * *

Kagome silently patted herself on the back when she successfully navigated back to the main cave. The caves were made up of a complex network of tunnels. To make it worse, most tunnels looked the same. Now that she was back in the main cave, she looked around in hopes of locating His Highness. Luckily for her, he was talking to some men near the great waterfall entrance. She took a deep breathe, straightened her posture and walked over to the group. All too fast she was standing a couple of feet behind him. Now that she was here, she felt her mind blank, her mouth dry out and her voice suddenly got stuck in her throat. What on Earth was she supposed to say?

“What is it, human?” Kagome snapped back to attention at the deep timbre of his voice.

He wasn't even facing her as he waited for her response. The other 3 men didn't bother to spare her a glance and merely continued their conversation. Hayate moved to sit next to his master.

“Um..my stores are empty and I want to leave to gather more herbs.” There, she managed to find her words again....but she still felt apprehensive about what his response would be.

At this point, the other men disbanded and Kouga finally turned around to fully acknowledge her presence. Kagome stood there, meeting his steely blue gaze with her own determined hazel. Why wasn't he saying anything? He was just standing there.....staring at her with an unreadable expression.

After what seemed a small eternity, he responded, “Fine. Go out and get what you need but you must stay with eastern pack territory. Make no mistake, human, you will be watched. Try to escape and Hayate will be having a human snack. Return before sundown,” he finished while giving Hayate a short nod.

Initially, Kagome just stood there in dumb shock that he had actually granted her permission to leave the caves. Then the next second, she felt herself colliding with soft fur and was moving away from Kouga very quickly somehow without her own feet! In the following second, she barely recognized that she was riding backwards on Hayate's back!

“WAIT-WAIT- WAIT! I WASN'T READY FOR THIIIIIIIISSSSS!!!!!”, Kagome screeched in alarm before they and her screams were drowned out by passing through the rushing cold waters of the waterfall. All of the wolf demons present erupted in laughter at the weird little human's exit. Even Kouga managed to crack a grin for a moment and rolled his eyes before replacing back his mask of stoicism. The girl may be stubborn and irritating but she was at least entertaining.

* * *

It was several miles of watching the scenery fly by her and clutching to his fur for dear life before Hayate suddenly stopped, the abruptness sending her falling backward over his head and onto the soft grass with an “ **oomph!”**. Kagome lie there looking up at the blue sky, large white clouds floating by. Riding on Hayate's back was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. She spent several minutes here just allowing her heart and mind to slow down from their marathon pace. Eventually, a large furry snout obscured her vision and began sniffing all over her face.

“Hey! Back off, I'm not dead,” Kagome sputtered with giggles and pushed him away.

“I'm just not used to riding wolf-back, especially backwards,” she sat up with a smile, “next time, a little warning would be nice,” she added with a playful accusatory glare as she got to her feet.

“Hm, where are we?...” Kagome began taking in around her surroundings.

They were in the woods surrounding the caves and somewhere nearby, she could hear running water. The late morning sun filtered down through the dense leaves of the trees, lingering drops of dew sparkled when the light caught them just right. A gentle summer breeze blew through her raven locks as the several birds sang away in the trees. She couldn't help but spread her arms wide and take a deep welcoming breathe of fresh morning mountain air. It was simply amazing! Now, she felt a new surge of motivation to get the lay of the land and find the various plants she needed. It was time to explore!

The next several hours were spent hiking through the woods, observing various forms of wildlife, making note of what herbs were readily available, collecting said herbs and getting familiar with the territory. One of these days, she noted that she should make a map of this area as it was relatively unknown to humans. Maybe if she ever got free of this awful situation she could impart the knowledge to her human brethren. Hayate trotted near and around her, sniffing here or there. Kagome watched him gracefully move about the landscape with a smile. Things shouldn't feel this....comfortable....right? It really felt like as if she were out for a pleasurable stroll with a beloved dog companion. She couldn't help but giggle to herself at the absurdity of what was happening here and now. This was a wild wolf with orders to kill her, not some cuddly puppy that just wants to fetch a stick! Still, she wasn't going to complain as her most recent history had been fraught with hard work, fear of death, Kouga yelling in her face, his pack trying to hurt her and the heavy fact that her life is now to be spent serving these demons as a slave.

That's right.....her life would never be the same or anything like she had hoped it would be. Her initial plan was to become a skilled healer, help humankind with injuries and illness, marry at some point and raise a family. None of that was going to come to pass now was it? The healing part would so long as the demons didn't kill her...but the part about helping people (humans), marrying a good man and raising a family....Small tears began to crop up at the corners of her eyes as she began to come to grips with what she had traded in order to save her mother and her village. Her knees buckled and she came to rest in the lush grasses as tears began to fall. She really had given up a lot. Thinking on it now, she still would've made the same choice but it was also still a lot to lose in such a short amount of time. All of the feelings from recent events came crashing over her as she began to sob heavily into her hands.

After several minutes of intense crying, she felt something poke into the crown of her hair. She looked up with broken eyes and flushed cheeks to Hayate's furry face. When had he walked back over? She honestly didn't know but in her vulnerable state she didn't care and threw her arms around his big furry neck, burying her face in his soft fur as she sobbed some more. The action caught Hayate so off guard that they fell back together in the grass with a **wump** and a **short whine.** Both laid there in the grass for several minutes. Kagome, trembling while crying her heart out and Hayate lying there on his side because he had no idea what to do at this point. He could have easily broken her hold around his neck and gotten up from under her, but, instead, he simply laid there and waited for her to regain composure. What else was he supposed to do? She wasn't trying to run away nor had she made any aggressive move towards him. He had served as Kouga's partner and alpha to the animal pack for several years. Had eaten his fair share of human flesh for sure. It made no sense why he was allowing her to touch him now when he had refused that same touch last night. He heaved a sigh as her sobs began to slow. Eventually, she sat back up, wiping away the last tears. He lifted his head, somewhat wary if she was done or if she would latch onto him again.

“I'm sorry,” she breathed, “I just...had a lot to feel.”

Hayate laid on the grass a beat longer as she sniffled before rising back on his paws, shaking his fur in the process. Kagome dried her eyes and then got to her feet as well to continue their journey. There were a few more hours of daylight before sunset and she still had much to see about this area. After awhile longer, Kagome sat underneath a large tree for a meal break eating some various nuts and berries found in the local area. She would have liked to hunt or fish but she was currently ill-equipped for it. Only several hours before did she get back her hunting knife but this journey with her lupine babysitter started all too suddenly for her to make certain it was on her person before leaving. She wouldn't be making that mistake again. At least there was plenty of nature's bounty to tide her over. Hayate was gnawing on a mid-size boar carcass nearby that he had hunted earlier. She doubted that boar would be enough for such a large wolf that stood shoulder to her hip and head to her chest. Watching him tear easily at the meat made her remember this morning's “breakfast” episode and thus she turned her focus back to the nuts and berries in her lap. Upon finishing her meal, she partook of the cool, clear running water of the nearby river, rinsed her face and then traveled onward.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was turning into mid-afternoon now. It was at this point that Kagome decided to turn around and head back to the cave. She didn't know this area very well and she wasn't feeling brave enough to push Kouga on being 'back by sunset'. The river she drank from seemed to be the same river she saw coming to the mountains a few nights ago. After walking for sometime, Kagome began to grow worried as the surroundings didn't look familiar at all. Maybe she had been to focused on the ground and the various plants to make notice of things she could use as landmarks for bearings. The afternoon was wearing on and she needed to get back before His Highness could have a reason to dole out some punishment. It may not matter anyway as he seemed to do whatever he pleased regardless...still, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Hayate was still loping through the woods around her; completely ignorant of her plight. Watching him gave her an idea and so she called out to him, “Um...Hayate!”

The wolf continued his meandering, stopping to sniff here or there as if he had heard nothing.

Kagome attempted once more to get his attention by raising her voice to a stronger level, “Hayate, wait! I want to talk to you!”

This time, the large brown wolf stopped and turned over his furry shoulder, ears forward but didn't approach her. Kagome took this as close to him answering her as she was going to get. Since he couldn't be bothered to come closer to her, she walked over to him. As she got closer, he resumed trotting ahead.

“W-wait!” Kagome sputtered in alarm. Once more, the wolf stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

Kagome hurried faster towards him and he once more returned to pressing forward.

Now frustrated, Kagome stopped, stood tall, hands on hips and barked, “HAYATE! COME HERE THIS INSTANT!”

It was a tone she only used in situations of great upset like with disobedient children or men that couldn't take a hint when she refused their advances...or, in recent history: asshole wolf demons.

To her delight and surprise, Hayate flinched at her raised voice and slowly padded towards her, head and tail still held high like the confident alpha he is but also with slightly flattened ears. His brow furrowed as if he was begrudgingly answering her call. Kagome immediately felt a bit bad for yelling at him what with his no doubt sensitive lupine hearing.

“I'm sorry to yell like that at you,” she bent over at the waist as she placed her hands on slightly bent knees. “I need your help, see? I'm a little lost and it's getting late....” she smiled worriedly into his golden eyes, “Please, can you help me get back?”

Their gaze held a moment longer before he moved his head into her stomach similarly as he did earlier in the morning back at the cave.....before he went tearing off with her riding backwards.

“Oh, wait, wait, let's try this way, okay?” Kagome moved slowly to mount onto his back of her own accord. If he was offering her a ride, she was going to ride him facing the front this time. She gingering swung a leg over his body and settled herself just behind his shoulders as he stood remarkably still. Once as situated as she was going to be riding bare wolf-back, she grabbed into the thick ruff of fur around his shoulders and neck and gave him an “Ok,” to go.

Just like the first time, it was a jolt once he started running and she grabbed deeper in the fur as she leaned closer into his body as one would do riding a horse in sprint. As Hayate moved through his running gait, Kagome held on and made mental notes of where she should hold tighter and where she should relax her grip. This was exactly how she was taught when learning to ride a horse. You learn the bodily movements of your steed, then adjust so that your body moves smoothly with their locomotion. Of course, on a horse, this method often resulted in her falling off and getting a bruised backside more than once until she got the hang of it. With Hayate though, she adapted more quickly as she was a far more experienced rider now than she was back then and he was smaller than the horses she used to ride. He still ran on all fours just like her equine companion but the impacts of his paws felt a bit softer than what she felt with hooves. He was much quieter than a galloping horse would be too. Kagome could feel the muscles contract and stretch beneath her as he expertly navigated the terrain, barely making a sound. It was almost as if he poured like liquid though the landscape.

'No wonder wolves are such fearsome hunters.....' Kagome mused internally, 'maybe more like assassins....' she wryly concluded.

He truly was a predator that mastered the art of stealth.

That delightful thought aside; Kagome began to relax and feel the wind whipping through her midnight locks. It was so freeing to be riding again! She had no idea how much she had missed it until now. It felt like.....like freedom....and that was a word that held a poignant meaning for her now more than ever. She closed her eyes and giggled with joy as the forest scenery sped about her and she enjoyed the waning rays of the late afternoon sun. Memories came rushing back of the days she would spend traveling the countryside on her horse. Always seeing something new, eager to get to the next village to help more people, looking forward to seeing friends she had already made in her travels and making new friends, maybe finding a good man to share a courtship with…it was an exhilarating, joyous feeling of limitless possibility.

* * *

It wasn't until she could feel him do a series of quick recoils, followed by a very unpleasant shower of cold, rushing water that she awoke from her reverie. Just like that, cruel reality set back in. She blinked owlishly at the sudden interruption, drenched in cold water and starting to shiver in the cooling early evening air. Hayate had slowed to a purposeful trot as he made his way through the den entrance and into the main cave. She could hear snickering bouncing off the cavern walls. Apparently, most of the cave inhabitants had stopped to take in her no doubt bedraggled appearance. Looking around, she could see some of the men leered at her lasciviously. Her fur dress now clung to her with the weight of the water, showcasing her curves while water droplets ran down her skin in accidental sexual innuendo. Heat rose to her face as embarrassment began to take hold. All she wanted to do was escape from those heating gazes! Why was Hayate taking so long to traverse this room?

“Hey! Return to your duties! She’s only here to be pack healer and my servant. Any who decide to touch her for any reason will be punished severely. Don’t mind the human,” Kouga’s voice sounded out clearly from one side of the main den.

He really didn’t want to give his men any weird ideas. They could fuck whomever they wanted, human or otherwise, but he had already told everybody that this human was ‘off limits’ earlier. This was their final warning to leave her alone if they knew what was good for them. He had joined in initially at chuckling at her entrance and drowned rat state but he needed everybody to remain focused with the war going on with the birds-of-paradise. There were weapons to smelt, armor to repair, furs to mend, prey to hunt, other foods to gather and there were still a few lingering injuries that would be gone in the next day or so.

Hearing his commanding voice seemed to recenter her and Kagome regained composure. She sat up straighter now, schooled her features while letting out a huff of annoyance and began squeezing out her long raven locks with an air of indifference. She doubted that his royal ass-ness had intended to be helpful in any way but she would take what she could get. She couldn’t afford to look weak, lest it could invite trouble. At least his horrid men had been ordered once more to leave her alone.

As Hayate was finally entering the tunnels, she chanced a glance around and found several disgusted glares from some of the women. She supposed that it was better to be hated and avoided than to have any of them, male or female, approaching her….aside from Ginta and Hakkaku, of course. Those two seemed alright to be around and they showed her a great kindness too by returning some of her affects.

* * *

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived back in the recovery cave. Thank the Gods that the cave was still empty. She could use a few minutes of solitude and relative safety to get her bearings completely back in order. She dismounted from Hayate’s furry back, full satchel in hand and brought it over to the ‘desk’ at the back of the room to do inventory of the day’s findings. The large brown wolf trotted after her and began drinking from the spring that ran near her ‘desk’.

“Oh, what a great idea…” Kagome sighed in fatigue as she crawled over to also partake of the cool fresh water. After taking several refreshing gulps, she used a nearby fur to dry off whatever water she could from her impromptu shower from the waterfall. It wasn’t as effective as being near a fire but it was better than nothing. Maybe she would get lucky later on and the hearth would be lit back in his royal highness’s room? She scoffed a bit at the situation. This was nuts. This whole thing was nuts! What in the Gods’ names had she been thinking back in that village? She supposed it was far too late for misgivings now. What’s done is done.

She sat back on a different fur near her ‘desk’ that served as her ‘chair/ sitting cushion’ and looked to her side to see Hayate had flopped on his side, seemingly tired from the day’s activities. He was still keeping a constant vigil on her but somehow seemed a touch more relaxed than the previous day.

“Thank you for helping me get back today. You were a really big help,” she smiled softly into his golden eyes. Hayate merely blinked at her before he suddenly found very interesting paws to lick and places to itch with his teeth. Kagome giggled before turning her attention to this poor excuse for a ‘desk’.

This workspace was merely a large-ish piece of woodcut set on some thick branches. If Kagome was going to be able to use this workspace, she would need to turn it into a proper table at least. The only wooden things she had seen so far were weapons strewn about the main cave, Kouga’s door and the various pieces of expensive furniture beyond that door. She doubted that he came by the furniture honestly; stolen most likely. Try as she might, she couldn’t see any of those demons out there as having any carpentry skills. In truth, she didn’t either…..but she may be able to manage something if she can get her hands on the proper materials. She saw plenty of metal works from the weapon edges to the various chest plates they wore. There had to be some smithery going on in these caves somewhere. Maybe she could make a trade for nails? Making the ‘desk’ workable would have to wait for the time being. For now, she could organize the various herbs. While the ‘desk’ was barely a work surface, there were several clay pots strewn about she could use to get some kind of system going for the herbs and other forageables that she found on her outing today. She didn’t know if she would be fed each day like she was earlier, so she foraged for any nuts, wild vegetables and berries while she was out. Plus, as a human, she couldn’t live entirely on meat alone anyway. She wondered if she would need to hunt for her own meat. The idea of trusting the wolf demons with something as important as feeding her was an idea she didn’t like in the slightest. No. She would need to be in control of as many of her needs for living as possible.

“Huh, didn’t know that this area could look so clean,” came an all too familiar baritone voice that startled her back to reality.

“What, you couldn’t tell I was here? You humans have such dull senses,” he added with a cocky smirk, “or maybe you’re all just stupid.”

Kagome refused to dignify any of that slander against her kind with an answer. In fact, she refused to even give him the satisfaction of her attention as an additional ‘fuck you’.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be is it?” Kouga leaned down closer to her with mischievous delight and a crooked grin to match.

Even without looking at him, Kagome really didn’t like that tone in his voice and began to brace herself for the myriad of unpleasant possibilities that could be next.

“Let’s put those cleaning skills of yours to work. My chambers could use a sprucing up,” he continued returning to full height, “you can do that by walking on your own or I can drag you there.”

Kagome wanted nothing more than to shoot her purest holy arrow through his heart and reduce him to dust…..but even if she decided to, she couldn’t. Her holy power was still recovering from her last pilgrimage. Additionally, their deal would most likely be void and she and her village would be destroyed. She really had no choice but to be this asshole’s maid and clean his filthy room. Gods knew what was lurking in the dark or in those various piles of bones…still, she would do it and she would do it with whatever dignity she could muster.

The priestess rose purposefully to her feet and began the trek back to his room, still refusing to make eye contact. Once she got a few steps ahead, Hayate began to follow and then followed Kouga. She could refuse to speak to him all she wanted. He won this round and it was a step forward to forcing her to understand that no matter what she thought, wanted or did, she would respect him and follow his orders. It was only a matter of time before she would break and he would have her completely trained. Maybe she would even smarten up enough to fear him. So far, she hadn’t shown an iota of fear of him or, even more strangely, his beast. Was she truly that courageous, the best actress he’s ever seen or just plain stupid? He planned to find out which.

* * *

As expected; Kouga's room was a mess. Kagome didn't know how she had missed it before when she initially entered this room. The kingly bed was disheveled and unmade, there were piles of bones in several places about the huge room, a mass of scrolls were strewn about on a desk that she hadn't noticed before, various jugs and bottles of empty saké bottles were everywhere and there was a very unpleasant stench in the air. The room reeked of body odor, sweat, ashes and smoke, saké and rotten flesh. How could anybody live in such FILTH!? Nay, it's SQUALOR! And she slept in this wretched room last night....

  
  


Kagome suddenly felt her stomach lurch violently. This was so much worse than the raw meat Hayate tried to feed her earlier today....

  
  


Kouga entered in the room after her, discarded his steel armor with a clang on the floor, and stripped down completely. The human's brain seemed to be broken again but he didn't care so long as she carried out his order. He left the bedroom and walked casually to his personal hot spring to unwind.

Back in the bedroom, Kagome finally came back to reality, and felt a sudden urge to turn the room upside down and make it immaculate. She would do this for _her_ sake, for _her_ sanity. If she was going to 'live out her days' here, then it would be done so with dignity...and clean air. She set about firstly to get rid of those horrid piles of bones while Hayate watched lazily from his spot next to the bed. Noticing him watching her, she wondered if wolves like chewing on bones like the dogs back home. She picked up a good sized, thick bone with a couple of rotting scraps on it (gross) and gingerly held it close to his muzzle. Quick as a flash; lupine jaws snapped around it and snatched it from her hand. Kagome stumbled back a step in surprise at the quick movement before realizing that the giant fuzzball had actually accepted her gift! He had refused to drink water from her hands yesterday. Maybe they were getting along just a bit better. She smiled at the hopeful prospect and then carried on gathering the remaining bones as Hayate chewed on his prize. Looking around the room, she didn't see anything resembling a broom. Big surprise there. She would probably have to craft one. It probably wouldn't be too hard to make a simple broom but, for now, her hands where what she had to work with. Where was she going to get rid of these bones?

* * *

Relaxing in the hot spring, Kouga heard her moving about. He chuckled upon hearing her grumbling about the mess and how he lived in a pig sty. More like a 'wolf sty' but that was beside the point. He had been mildly impressed with her cleaning skills back in the medical cave. Not that she needed to know. Plus, he was simply too lazy to clean up. That would normally be women's work....if he ever allowed them back in his room, that is. Despite his long, successful career in bedding females, none of them had ever been brought back to his personal chambers. Instead, they would 'have their fun' in a spare room or out in the woods or mountains somewhere. He sighed contentedly and sank into the warm waters a bit deeper.

* * *

It was several minutes later before he strolled back into his room, refreshed and feeling relaxed for once. Hayate was lying in his spot gnawing happily on a bone by the bed. When did he get that? Hayate never touched Kouga's possessions, even leftover bones, unless directed to do so. Did the girl give it to him? Only a moment later were his musings disrupted by a **gasp!** and a sudden waft of embarrassment from said girl.

  
  


“A little warning would've been nice, you know!” she complained through her hands covering her face and flaming cheeks.

  
  


“What? Have you never seen a man before?” Kouga chuckled with a fangy grin as he turned to face her.

Here was a new opportunity to torture her and he would gladly take it.

  
  


“NO! And I don't need to!” she shook her head vigorously.

  
  


“That's too bad. You're missing out on a lot. I don't care if you look. Just know that you won't be partaking of this paragon of wolf demon,” he shrugged his shoulders with a feigned sigh.

  
  


“Excuse me!? I have no-” her shriek died out quickly as she let down her hands to come face to face with a very chiseled chest, perfect rows of abs and flawless beautiful bronze color skin.

She was momentarily mesmerized by the stray water droplets dripping down the manscape. Her eyes trailed up those solid looking pectorals to broad masculine shoulders to a strong neck and finally to a handsome face with azure eyes glinting with challenge. A raven brow arched up on that face, accompanied by that irritating knowing smirk. She had never beheld such masculine beauty before.

  
  


At that surprising thought, she moved past him in an indignant huff, found his discarded fur kilt and tossed it behind her in his general direction. He caught it easily while turning to see what she would do next.

  
  


“You...” she began with quiet irritation, “are disgusting, crass and just....awful! Keep your....self!......to yourself!” she stomped about the room continuing her cleaning mission.

She hoped that focusing on something else would help calm her nerves. Just last night, she had promised herself that she wouldn't let this asshole get to her. That she would find ways to thrive and smile from the bottom of her heart.....but she hadn't expected....THIS! She would much prefer to be degraded for being human or weak all day long. All night long too for that matter!

  
  


Kouga watched her little tirade endlessly entertained as he retied his fur kilt around his waist.

  
  


'Disgusting, crass and just....awful!'? Was that really the best insult she could come up with? He had been called so much worse than that. Not only was she a pathetic human but even her insults were pathetic. Still, riling her up like this had been a good laugh and had definitely gotten under her skin. He had forgotten that humans tended to be prudes when it came to pleasures of the flesh. He would have to file this information away for next time she needed to be taught a lesson since fear had proven to be ineffective so far.

  
  


He moved to lounge about on his luxurious bed and watched her move about. The room had already changed a fair bit from before he took a bath. All of the bone piles had been disposed of and fresh air was blowing in. He surmised that she must've found the door at the other end of the tunnel that led to the hot spring. Behind this door was a balcony of sorts, if you could call it that. In truth, it was a sheltered ledge with a _very_ shear drop. She must've been throwing out any bones and mess over that ledge. He had to admit that the fresh air was welcome and she was doing a decent job. The room was looking even grander than before with things being cleared out and organized. As the stenches of his disregard for having a clean room and general laziness cleared, new scents began to take their place. There was, of course, his own wonderful scent, Hayate's, evidence of old fire, ash, mountain air, hints of the forest....but beginning to overrule them all was that infinite field of flowers.

  
  


Kouga took a deep draw of her scent to fully parse it out. So many flowers....a thriving forest, the rushing river, verdant grasses..... a perfect day in spring was still the best way to describe it....somehow it relaxed him even further than he already was. It didn't make any sense that her scent seemed to be easing his mind. Maybe he was more tired than he realized?

  
  


'That has to be it,' Kouga mentally assured himself.

He just needs to sleep. After all, it was a royal pain in his ass to deal with those fucking flying turkeys and the pack was only just now getting back on their feet. He would need to plan an assault soon to deal with this issue once and for all. But, first, sleep.

  
  


“Alright, that's enough for now, human,” he stretched with a yawn and began to slide under the covers.

  
  


Kagome walked back over to the bed, feeling calmer now that she had used up some of the angry energy Kouga had stirred up earlier. She looked down at the pile of furs that served as Hayate's nest and her de facto bed. He was now snoozing, sprawled out over the furs, the bone he was gnawing on earlier discarded to the side. Where was she supposed to go? It really didn't look like there would be any room on those furs...

  
  


“Hey...” Kagome looked up to see Kouga holding the covers open as if to invite her to slip in the bed.

He had to be kidding, right? After everything so far, all of the insults, the nude display, not to mention him declaring not 24 hours ago that she would never rest on the bed again...he was offering to share the bed?? It boggled her mind and she wasn't too sure if he had other intentions despite his general disgust against humans......but....the other option was sleeping on the floor....the supremely hard, solid, unforgiving rocky mountain floor....

  
  


“Either get in or don't,” he dropped the covers and moved to lie flat on his back as he sighed, closing his eyes, “you're welcome to use the floor if you prefer.”

  
  


She really shouldn't look a gift wolf in the mouth....especially since who knew what was in store for her tomorrow....or the next day...or the day after that. She should use every advantage she could get.....and yet....the fresh memory of several of Kouga's men leering at her lasciviously gave her pause.

  
  


“How do I know that you will keep your hands to yourself?” she shifted uncomfortably on her feet and wrapped her arms around her mid-section in a self hug.

  
  


“Heh! I suppose you don't but why do you think I would even be remotely interested in you anyway? I think I've already made it pretty clear that I have no desire to fuck humans,” he snorted dismissively.

  
  


That's right...he did say that back at her village didn't he? Still....

  
  


“Some of your...men...were leering at me earlier....” she warily confessed.

  
  


“Look,” Kouga turned back over to meet her uneasy gaze, annoyed with having to delay his rest a minute longer, “ you're a plain, weak human that will either prove to be useful to me or be fed to my wolves if you become too much of a headache. That's where my thinking starts and stops with you. Because they want to lower their standards by sleeping with humans doesn't mean I do the same. Now, go to sleep,” he added with finality while turning to lay on his other side with a **hmph!**

  
  


Kagome supposed that she should be relieved that he didn't see her as a sexual conquest but she also felt just a touch offended by his contempt for her kind. Still, it did ease her mind enough to gingerly get in at the furthest edge of the bed just in case he changed his mind at some point during the night. After she settled in and heaved a heavy sigh, fatigue finally catching up with her, the remaining light was snuffed out as Kouga pinched the wick of his bedside candle. In mere minutes, her eyelids grew too heavy and she dreamed of by gone days roaming free in the countryside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The large brown wolf's name is Hayate (pronounced as - Ha-ya-teh) and his name means "sudden, sound of the wind" in this story. 
> 
> There are several ways of spelling his name in Japanese Kanji; each with different meanings. Another spelling of his name would translate to: gale, hurricane, blast, storm, squall, gust, for example.
> 
> He has some serious speed and agility on his paws so I felt it appropriate to use a name talking about strong wind for a powerful, male alpha wolf.


	4. The birds-of-paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are coming to a head as the attacks continue from the birds-of-paradise. The time has come for battle! To put an end to the pack's suffering! Kouga hurries to get a strategy in order to save his people. Kagome gets drafted into the war effort and gets up too close and far too personal with one of the huge birds.

~Forest and Sky~

**by Paw85**

**Ch 4 – The birds-of-paradise**

It had been a couple of weeks since the human had been brought to his den. Since that first night, Kouga and had fallen into a routine of sorts with the girl: he gave orders, she defied or sassed him before she ultimately did whatever it was he told her to do or sometimes she just did it after glaring at him, he didn't typically see her again until nightfall back in his room, he slept in his bed and she on the floor with Hayate where she belonged, the sun would rise and the routine would start all over again. He historically had no patience for disobedience and had doled out many a physical punishment for it. Complete obedience was expected from his pack but the human was anything but obedient. Yet, he had not punished her. It was possible that he didn't bother simply because he was putting his attention to far more important things such as planning the assault on those damn birds. He would deal with her later.

  
  


The pack had completely recovered from their injuries from the botched raid and the recent attacks from the birds-of-paradise. Morale was coming back up too as people recovered and caught their breath. Now was the time to get the drop on those flying turkeys. Kouga sent out his best scouts on reconnaissance to the nesting grounds of the flying bird demons. From what his wolves gathered, the flock had grown in size since the attacks started. There was a particularly large turkey that seemed to be in charge of the bunch. If he could take out the leader, the morale if its troops would probably falter and his men could pick off the rest. They would learn quickly that his pack wasn't to be messed with and, more importantly, _he_ wasn't to be messed with. In addition, the meat from their dead carcasses would surely feed his pack for months. There may even be treasures to plunder. Not to mention that additional territory to add to his lands. It was a great opportunity ripe for the plucking. Now, he only had to determine the how and when this assault would go down.

  
  


Kouga was well known for his tactical prowess in battle amongst the packs. It was one of the main reasons why he became pack alpha at such a young age of 339 years old (considered quite young by yokai standards) aside from his strength, agility and amazing speed. The only reason that the birds-of-paradise had any edge over him and his pack was due to their sheer numbers. They outnumbered his army 8 to 1. That ratio had increased lately too so a frontal assault would lead to a similar result from last time: a pack so overwhelmed that they had to retreat. It was a bitter loss for him and his pack. Many warriors were lost in that fight. This time, he had fewer men to work with so an assassination approach would work better in their favor. A small group, led by him, would go under the cover of night to those clifftops while the bulk of the army remained hidden in the nearby ledges in a large perimeter around the birds' nest. The infiltration group would take out any sentries with precision and work their way into the territory until they found the leader and take his head. Next, they would make a fiery display of the leader's body. The remaining birds would no doubt become discombobulated without their leader and start fleeing about in panic. The waiting army of wolves would then descend on the remains of the flock form all directions and decimate every bird until none remained. This time, he would exact revenge on those fucking birds, reclaim his lost honor and secure safety for his people for a long time to come.

  
  


* * *

  
  


In the next few days, Kagome found herself on yet another herb run with her furry babysitter. Injuries had picked up as the remaining warriors were sparring day and night to prepare for this big battle that she was hearing about in pieces as she went about her days. They already seemed so strong. Were the birds-of-paradise that formidable? She could feel it in the air; the anticipation, the anger, the fear. A couple of times, fights broke out between pack members as warriors became too agitated. It fell to Ginta and Hakkaku to break up these sparring matches gone wrong. Everyone was on edge and all seemed to understand how important this coming battle was.

  
  


She wondered if his royal ass-ness had plans for her too in this fight. She had been more careful for the past couple of days as he had grown even colder and more stoic than she had known him to be so far. At least before, he seemed to smile or laugh, although it always was at her expense, but the rest of the time, she couldn't read him at all. It was unnerving and left her often wondering where she stood in her never-ending goal to stay alive by proving her usefulness to him. She also noticed the lines on his face were a lot harsher and his jaw was clenched with tips of fangs displaying underneath his lip. Now was not the time to test him. It was these observations that kept her from complaining about sleeping on the floor with Hayate. Kouga was just as on edge as his pack, if not more so. He was their leader after all. A lot was probably riding on his shoulders.

On the other hand with Hayate, she genuinely felt that they were starting to get along rather nicely. Since that first time that he allowed her to ride him as a steed, he continued to run with her secured right behind his shoulders when she needed it. Maybe it was because he enjoyed the run? Or it was because he appreciated that bone that she had given him awhile back and this was a sort of repayment? Kagome didn't really know why he continued to allow her to ride on him but she also wasn't going to complain. It was due to his powerful form and paws that she was rapidly learning about the forests surrounding the den. As she learned about her new 'home', she could plan for things that would be useful such as a new bow and arrows. It took a few days, but she finally gathered the necessary materials to craft them, a simple quiver, animal fur boots and one of the most important items she had been desperate to make: new underwear. Well, it was actually a pair of shorts made from animal hide to preserve more of her modesty.

When Kouga burned her clothes after he unceremoniously dumped her in the hot spring, he had also burnt her undergarments. It was embarrassing and she felt vulnerable without them...especially when his men leered at her that day after her first herb run. It was also awkward riding wolf back with nothing covering your backside underneath your main clothes. She couldn't help that the fur dress was all Kouga 'offered' her to wear but she could sew new undergarments thanks to Ginta and Hakkaku. She fashioned new underwear from the same animal hide that she made the boots with, minus the fur. It helped her feel more proper in spite of the inappropriate dress she had to wear. At least the top half wasn't so bad and she could use her long hair to help herself feel less exposed.

**“HELP! Let go of me, you damn bird!,”** a distressed yet familiar voice rang out over head.

Kagome looked up through the forest canopy to see a very large, round, grey bird flying high in the sky with a hapless victim in its talons.

  
  


**Gasp!** “Ginta!” Kagome gasped in alarm as Hayate turned to pursue the bird. Kagome held on tight as he ran with all of his might as if sensing the urgency of the situation.

  
  


The bird was fast but Hayate was keeping decent pace with it. She could do something about this. She could save him! All she needed was a clear shot!

  
  


“Faster, Hayate! Hurry!” Kagome urged the large brown wolf on with worry, “don't lose them!”

  
  


Up with the bird demon, Ginta flailed, scratched and bit any flesh he could reach. Anything to help slow the possibility of his death. So many of his comrades had met their end after being carried away. Since the birds flew so high, rescuing the victim had a low success rate and a very narrow window of opportunity. Kouga, of course, could reach their height but he wasn't here right now and, even with his speed, he might fail to get to Ginta in time. Making matters worse was the fact that the attack happened so far away from the den that additional help was out of howling range. All the recon party could do was run after the rapidly soaring away bird.

  
  


**Thunk!** “SQUWAK **!”** cried the bird as the arrow pierced its 'ankle' !

  
  


**GASP!** “ **EEE** EEeyyyaaaaaaahhhhh!!! Screamed the Ginta as he found himself suddenly free-falling from those same talons that held him in a life-threatening vice only seconds ago!

  
  


He fell for what seemed like forever but was more like a minute or so before he started crashing through branches in the higher levels of the forest canopy. More branches broke under his velocity, sustaining more injuries along the way, before body met ground and rolled down a grassy hill before coming to a stop in the thick grasses.

  
  


“Ginta! Ginta!” Kagome rushed to his side once Hayate slowed down near his fallen form.

  
  


Poor Ginta was sprawled flat on his back, panting hard from his ordeal. He was covered in dirt, twigs and blood. Kagome began checking over him, looking for and and all injuries. He wasn't saying anything yet. Just panting, whimpering, groaning from pain and she could hear it now....his breathing was labored.

  
  


'Oh, Gods, his ribs...' Kagome mentally gasped!

  
  


She gingerly perused his torso, then rolled him ever so gently to see his back. It was hard to see where the actual injuries were on his back as the whole thing was covered in bruises, scratches and blood. His chest piece did manage to protect his heart and upper back but it was definitively dented now. She needed to get him back to the den and fast!

  
  


**Aaaarrroooooooo!** Her frenzied thoughts were disrupted by Hayate's sudden howl.

She hoped that howl might bring some help. Ginta needed to be moved quickly and carefully and she wouldn't be able to do it by herself with any speed. She would have to make a sled of sorts to drag him back to the den and his injuries could get so much worse in the meantime!

  
  


“Ginta!” Hakkaku came running up to them with 4 more comrades in tow.

  
  


“Hurry, get him back to the den!” he ordered the remaining men, “you, go ahead,” he added turning to Kagome.

  
  


The priestess didn't need to be told twice. Ginta's injuries looked pretty serious at first examination and if she was going to help him, then she needed all of the supplies she could get!

  
  


* * *

  
  


As she feared; Ginta's injuries were indeed serious. After cleaning him up as gently as possible, she found many areas of internal bleeding up and down his back. It was very possible that some of his ribs may at least be bruised or cracked. His breathing was evening out slowly as he calmed down from the adrenaline rush of nearly being carried off and killed. His left shoulder had been dislocated as well and Kagome debated when to address that. The state of his ribs was more critical than his shoulder or the various flesh wounds littered about his body. Forcing the humerus bone back into its socket may make the situation worse with the ribs. Plus, these demons seem to have accelerated healing....she wondered how long it took for it to kick in and to what degree. Kagome elected to remain at his side and carefully observe his condition. While doing that, she dressed his superficial wounds and started building a splint for the arm once it could be safely relocated.

  
  


“How is he?” a very worried Hakkaku piped up.

  
  


His question startled her as she was so focused on helping Ginta that she had plum forgotten that the rest of his comrades were still here in the medical cave waiting to find out his condition with baited breath.

  
  


“He has several flesh wounds and a dislocated shoulder but I'm most worried about his ribs being bruised or cracked,” Kagome informed him somberly.

  
  


“ **GINTA! HAKKAKU!”** bellowed a very loud, angry sounding voice that ricocheted off of the den walls like a wild beast.

  
  


“Oh, shit....” the color started running out of Hakkaku's already pale skin.

He knew whose voice that was. They all did. And that tone often came as a preamble for somebody is going to die this day. He knew it wouldn't take long before the whole pack learned that one of their own was attacked by one of those turkeys....again. But he had hoped that they could at least have Ginta's condition completely known before facing the wrath of his leader.

  
  


The rest of the recon party scrambled off in a panic, leaving Hakkaku to face Kouga alone. The beta knew that it was his responsibility to make a full report to their leader, especially with Ginta down. That didn't mean he was looking any more forward to it.

  
  


Merely a few beats later, Kouga barreled into the medical cave angrier than Kagome had ever seen him. He wasn't even this upset back in her village that night when they squared off. She may have underestimated how severe this bird-of-paradise problem was to the wolves. Hakkaku scrambled to his feet to face the music and a very pissed off alpha.

  
  


**“WHAT. THE. FUCK. HAPPENED?”** Kouga growled in a very low, dangerous voice a mere inch away from Hakakku's face.

  
  


Firey blue sparking irises locked beneath a hard brow bounced between his beta's eyes and quickly scanned his face. Kouga's jaw was firmly set and even he could feel his bottom teeth creaking underneath the top jaws pressure. Aside from his clearly livid body language, Kagome could feel an unnatural pressure from his aura, which had turned a disturbing black color. It was heavy, oppressive and rife with warning and power. Her abilities must finally be back in full if she could see auras again. Holy gods above was he was terrifying right now!

  
  


“We – we were c-carrying out our mission for i-intel in the birds-of-paradises' territory and one of them got G-Ginta and - carried him off-f,” Hakkaku managed to stutter out, “we ga-ave chase and f-found him i-injured in a grassy field with the h-human at his s-side. I d-don't know how he got d-down....but...”

  
  


“-the.....girl....saved me – **cough**!” Ginta interjected quietly, “s-ssaved me...”.

  
  


Kagome placed a soft hand on his forehead in a nonverbal bid to stop talking and rest.

  
  


Saved him? The girl saved him from a flying bird-of-paradise? The thought was ludicrous in Kouga's mind. The wolves had far superior physical attributes and they struggled to save anybody carried off....but a mere human did???

  
  


“Explain,” Kouga turned his deadly gaze to the small human girl tending to his wounded beta.

  
  


Kagome swallowed hard. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to interact with Kouga at all while he was like this but he was looking directly at her now and demanding answers....If there was ever a time that she needed all of the courage she could muster, it was now.

  
  


She stood up and straightened out her dress, “I was out gathering herbs with Hayate and heard screaming over my head. I looked up and saw Ginta was being carried off by some giant bird. Hayate and I chased them until I could get a clear shot with my bow and arrow. I managed to shoot that bird in its ankle and it dropped Ginta after that. Then, Hayate howled after I got to Ginta's side and it was after that then Hakkaku and his group showed up,” she finished sounding braver than she felt inside.

  
  


Kouga still found it hard to believe a simple human could do what his men couldn't. He would have flat out refused to believe her if Ginta hadn't corroborated her story and Hakkaku backed it up too. He elected to let it go for now. At the end of the day, his beta was saved from certain death and this provided some intel for the assault too. Speaking of intel; he still needed to hear the findings from the recon group. This battle needed to happen as soon as possible. It was clear Ginta probably wouldn't be participating but things just couldn't wait any longer. It was time for action. Both Kouga and Hakkaku walked off to confer privately, leaving Ginta groaning on a bed of straw and furs and a very stunned Kagome.

  
  


She had actually survived that conversation? Just to be sure, she pinched her arm and found that she truly was still alive. Kagome took several deep breathes to calm her racing heart.

  
  


Ginta chuckled weakly, knowing all to well what must be going through the girl's mind.

  
  


“Is he always like that?” Kagome whispered to him, wary of how sharp Kouga's demonic hearing might be.

  
  


“Yeah...” a strained smile played across Ginta's lips.

  
  


Now that things had calmed down, Kagome took this chance to inform him directly about his wounds. She learned that he could breath fine now but she wanted to wait a few more hours before tending to his dislocated shoulder. Until then, Kagome redressed any wounds needing it and made light conversation with him. Eventually, she did get his arm back into its socket and made a sling for it afterward to help with healing. His bruises were already looking better. Demonic healing abilities were truly amazing. If he had been human, he probably wouldn't have survived that fall and even if he did, the injuries would either take months to heal or they might have been fatal anyway.

  
  


Hakkaku jogged back into the medical cave, then, followed by a loud bellow of “GIRL!” from his royal ass-ness.

  
  


“I'll sit with him,” Hakkaku assured her with a whisper and a grateful smile.

  
  


Kagome hurried over to the medical cave entrance, Hayate in tow. Kouga was already a few steps ahead and she hustled after him, assuming he meant her to follow him. If she remembered correctly; they were heading back to his room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Her memory served her well as she stepped through a now familiar heavy oak door. She took a moment to enjoy that the room had completely aired out and now smelled of fresh mountain air, leather and old fire in the hearth. Thank the gods!

  
  


**CRASH!** Kagome flinched back a bit as Kouga angrily flipped over a desk. Apparently, he was still upset. He then launched into a rambling rage about how much those “fucking flying turkeys” were a humongous pain in his ass, how many have been injured or killed, how they couldn't hunt as easily with the threat of those birds about and how long this had been going on. Every few sentences, he would flip some other piece of furniture or violently throw things around. Hayate sat generally unfazed by her side. She wondered if this was a common 'Kouga thing' to fly into a violent rage. She backed up towards the room wall and kept her eyes on him. She already had first-hand experience of how much he hated when she was distracted when he was talking to her. Now was not the time to test him.

  
  


After the room had been sufficiently trashed, he stalked out of the room, temper only barely soothed, and around the corner to the hot spring in the back. Kagome surveyed the mess before a nagging suspicion began to creep up her spine.....was he expecting her to clean this up?

  
  


As if on cue, that same bellowing voice from earlier ordered, “that room had better be put right before I come back!”.

  
  


Jerk.

  
  


She sighed softly in resignation before going about to do just that. Hayate returned to his spot near the bed that now was up on its side with sheets, furs and pillows strewn about. This was going to be a challenge due to its sheer size and weight.....but she had to do it and fast! Who knows how long he would actually take in the bath?

  
  


* * *

A good twenty minutes or so later, she had moved everything back in its proper place and added new wood to the fire. She was about to light it when she felt a strong arm coil around her mid-section and placed her close to the water's edge before disappearing as quickly as it came.

“Your turn; you reek” he stated flatly as he turned to walk back to the bedroom.

  
  


Kagome glared at his retreating form, hoping it might actually burn him.

  
  


'Oh, well, at least he didn't just dump me in here and a bath does sound nice after everything today,' she admitted as she stripped out of her clothes. In fact, she was surprised that he deigned to share this spring with her at all. She had been coming to know him as a very territorial sort and sharing seemed to be a foreign concept to him. Was it maybe a sort of appreciation for saving his pack mate? She decided not to read any more into it.

  
  


Eventually, she emerged from the tunnel, refreshed and relaxed. Her natural scent filled the room and Kouga couldn't help but inhale a generous lungful as he laid on his kingly bed. The aroma of the perfect day in spring immediately helped soften his excited emotions a bit. It didn't make sense to him that her scent affected him this way but at this point it really didn't matter.

  
  


“Tomorrow night, we're taking out those flying bastards,” he began as he turned to face her on his side with an arm propped underneath his head, “tonight, I have decided that you will sleep in the bed as you're going with us. You need whatever strength your puny human body can offer.”

  
  


“I'm...going too?” Kagome blinked. She really hadn't expected that she would play any part in this battle. In fact, she had rather hoped that her 'puny human body' would be sufficient cause to leave her behind.

  
  


“Yes, we may need some healing on the go and if you really are that good of a shot with that bow, then we could use that as well to our advantage if those birds try to carry anybody off. You will travel with me until we enter their territory. At the border, you will wait with the bulk of my forces until the main attack commences. Once the battle starts, your priority is taking care of all injuries and shooting down any birds like you did earlier today, got that?” his voice hardened at the end, “make no mistake human; if you mess this up for me, your life will be forfeit.”

  
  


'Right, there's the obligatory 'do it or you die'....how does he expect me to simply get in bed with him after such a warm, caring speech?....' Kagome mentally complained.

Yet, she found herself sliding under the covers anyway. She was tired and there was no sense in defying him over this just to make a point that her life has meaning too.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The next evening came seemingly too fast and she found herself stashing whatever bags she could find with various herbs, ointments and other odds and ends. Ginta was doing much better but wasn't totally healed yet. He watched her hurry about garnering supplies for the big battle coming up. He groused that he wasn't well enough to go as well to help support the effort to rid his tribe of those damn birds once and for all. In truth, he could've ambled along and done _something_ but Kagome insisted that he remain here to rest. Ginta couldn't help but feel touched that the little human genuinely cared about his welfare in a way nobody else did. He felt indebted to her for saving his life and treating his wounds. Somehow, he would find a way to repay her but, for now, he would take her advice and rest here at the den.

  
  


Eventually, Hakkaku came in to escort her to Kouga's side, Hayate following close behind. Hakkaku stopped a moment and both betas wished each other well. After they grasped arms, Ginta growled lowly and gestured with his eyes in Kagome's direction. The growl roughly translated to “watch out for her,” and Hakkaku nodded his understanding with an agreeing smile. Far as they were concerned, Kagome was fast becoming a friend and she had earned their respect and their gratitude.

  
  


Hakkaku led Kagome as she rode on Hayate to Kouga's side as he was finishing running down the plan for the warriors. As soon as he finished, his strike team assembled next to him and they took off seemingly in a flash. Hayate tore after them as Kagome molded herself around his body while grasping deep in his fur. She didn't think about where they were going or directing the large wolf. He seemed to know exactly where he was going.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Eventually, the army came to a stop on the fringes of the birds-of-paradises' territory. The strike team had already started their infiltration by the time Kagome arrived on Hayate. Hakkaku was waiting for them and he directed her to set up a makeshift medical site. There were a few animals and demons around them. She surmised that the rest must be lying in wait around the perimeter. She couldn't help but feel impressed by how well thought out the plan seemed to be. Time would tell how successful it was and she figured it wouldn't be very long before the plan moved from 'phase 1' to 'phase 2'. Speed and stealth seemed to the be the key components for this fight.

  
  


As she had thought, it was maybe 10 minutes or so at best before the glow of a growing blaze began to break into the night sky. A loud resounding howl sounded off and all of a sudden there was a flurry of wolves and wolf demons rushing the peaks. The bird demons, in their panic, began scattering everywhere in a bid to escape. Small groups of wolf demons used tall growing trees to their advantage and brought many birds down to then be ripped apart by the wolves. As soon as the bird was crippled enough it couldn't get away, half of the group remained to finish it off while the the other half dispersed to either find new prey or aid another group. This approach repeated several times over throughout the territory.

  
  


Working from the center of the territory back to the perimeter was the strike team lead by Kouga. They split off in pairs to implement the same strategy as the outer teams while Kouga remained on his own. He was more than capable of hunting these turkeys down. Using his great speed and agility, he pursued the larger birds just in case one of them got the silly idea of picking up the leader's mantle. They couldn't afford to allow the bird demons to reorganize. Kouga knew that the birds could still use their advantage in numbers to tip the scales of battle in their favor. The wolves had to keep things chaotic and rife with confusion.

  
  


Kagome watched the unfolding battle in amazement before Hakakku broke her out of her stupor .

“Pay attention, Kagome! Focus! I already have somebody that needs healing!” The beta jogged forward with a injured comrade draped over his shoulders.

  
  


“Help him! I'll cover for you,” he turned back to the battle soon as the injured warrior was lying on a fur pallet. Kagome set to work, going through the same refusal of help from a human as her first night but she eventually patched up the man. This repeated several more times as the battle dragged on past an hour. There were a few times that Kagome shot a bird to force it to drop a wolf or demon being carried off. After which, she told Hayate to “fetch” the victim without thinking twice. The large brown wolf retrieved the injured and brought them back to the medical space where she would begin her work routine all over again. Those that were hurt but could still defend once bandaged became sentries for the medical space. They did so in short bursts though as they were still injured after all. The priestess found herself redoing their bandages a few times. Some of the sentries had to stop completely after awhile due to their injuries taking a toll. Not a one said “thank you” but the girl could only feel building determination as the battle wore on.

  
  


* * *

  
  


As she was applying ointment to another scrape, a scream of terror went zooming overhead followed by a gust of wind and the sound of feathers slicing through the air. Kagome grabbed her bow and quiver and mounted Hayate to give chase. It only took several lupine strides before she got a clear enough shot to let the arrow fly, this time hitting deep in the bird's wing. After the bird shrieked with pain, she let fly another arrow, this one striking the giant bird's underbelly. The bird now dropped its prize of a struggling wolf demon to the ground before crashing into the ground itself several feet ahead. Kagome looked anxiously for the victim but became focused now on the very large, bleeding bird turning to face her with huge eyes, a menacing mouth full of razor sharp looking teeth and some kind of humanoid atop its head. It was terrifying and strange looking but mostly terrifying!

  
  


“Damn you, girl, you will pay for this,” it glared down at her as its larger half screeched in anger!

  
  


'Oh, Gods, what now?!' panic began race up her spine as her gut twisted in on itself.

  
  


She had her holy power back. She could easily vaporize this monstrosity into dust! The victim the bird dropped was still nowhere to be seen. If she vaporized the bird, she might kill the victim too. Plus, she would draw a lot of unwanted attention that could very well end in her death. No, it definitely _would_ end in her death!

  
  


The bird came at her now, mouth gaping wide to take a chomp! Kagome could have sworn that she saw down its throat before she was suddenly whisked away by her lupine steed! She dug her hands deep in his fur for dear life as he maneuvered them behind the giant bird. She notched another arrow and let it fly into the bird's back! Once again, it shrieked in pain before whipping around and coming after her again, talons brandished, before Hayate would shift location again.

  
  


Several more times this awful dance continued. The blasted bird had 5 more arrows lodged in its body but it just wouldn't die! Another round in and Kagome finally caught sight of the victim that the bird dropped earlier. The bird was toddling strangely on its feet. Apparently, it had taken a misstep the last time it lunged at her and crashed gracelessly into the surrounding trees. Kagome took this opportunity to dismount Hayate and rush to the victim's side. How they had managed not to crush him in their trading of blows, she did not know. A miracle if there ever was one. The victim was unconscious but had mostly superficial flesh wounds. He might have a concussion though since he had been out awhile.

  
  


“DIE YOU WORTHLESS HUMAN!” the bird had recovered more quickly than she hoped and lunged at her again with its sharp talons.

  
  


Without thinking, Kagome crouched over the victim in a bid to protect him as the bird passed over them. Immediately, Hayate launched at the bird's backside until he reached the humanoid perched atop the bird's head, clamping down hard on where it's neck and shoulder connected. The wolf hung on for several moments as the humanoid swatted about helplessly, screaming in pain as the bird half flailed about. Hayate began to rip and tear into its shoulder, clamping harder as he went.

  
  


Kagome crawled through the grasses, desperately dragging the victim away from the fight with little success. He was larger than her and very heavy. She looked back worriedly as Hayate continued his assault on the bird-of-paradise. He had made some successful strikes but the bird just kept going. Wait....the bird seems to be having more trouble since he bit the humanoid atop its head....could that be it's 'brain'?

'Only one way to find out!' Kagome rushed over to where her bow and quiver had fallen in the grass, notched the arrow and let it fly.

  
  


**THUNK!** The arrow hit its mark of square in the head of the humanoid atop the massive grey bird as Hayate chomped on its throat, tearing it open. The humanoid let out a soundless scream as blood began gushing out its newly open throat and light drained from its eyes. The bird stumbled a couple of steps more before it collapsed, its final breathe barely leaking out of its huge toothy mouth in a whisper.

  
  


Kagome had never felt so relieved in her life! Somehow, she and Hayate had felled one of the birds-of-paradise! No time to celebrate now; there was still a battle raging on and a victim to help. She managed to drape the victim over Hayate's back and they began trekking back to the medical space. How much longer could this battle go on? It seemed like hours had gone by already. In fact, the whole night had gone by! Only just now did Kagome notice that dawn was breaking in the east. Then, she heard a chorus of howls. What did they mean? As if right on cue, Hakakku broke into the clearing with a triumphant grin on his face.

  
  


“We did it, Kagome! We beat the birds-of-paradise!” he excitedly whooped.

  
  


“We're raiding the territory now for whatever we can carry and then we'll head home. Kouga says you are to head home ahead of everybody. The rest of the men will carry the wounded back. They're already starting now so you should hurry up” he finished.

  
  


“Oh, okay,” Kagome answered dumbly, still processing that the battle was over.

  
  


Hakkaku took his fallen comrade and sent her off, “don't forget to tell Ginta everything. He'll be dying to know!” he jogged away with a fangy smirk.

  
  


Kagome decided his fangy grin was much more charming than a certain asshole's before she mounted Hayate once more and made the return journey to the eastern den.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After entering in via one of the lesser used side exits; Kagome made way immediately to the medical cave. Some of the remaining wounded may have shown up already courtesy of their healthier companions. As expected, several of the straw pallets were now occupied with injured. Most of them merely needed cleaning and new bandages. Others that she hadn't seen on the battle field needed bandages, splints or a limb popped back into joint.

  
  


Ginta still laid on his pallet taking in the scene with concern but elated that the nightmare of the birds-of-paradise was now over. Far as he could tell, the injuries from this battle weren't too bad. Most of the wounds were minimal enough to be expected to be completely healed in a couple of days or less. What a relief!

  
  


Eventually, Hakkaku wandered in and took a seat next to his friend. He looked a bit worse for wear what with dirt being everywhere and there were some twigs in his mohawk but he only had some minor injuries and bruises to speak of.

  
  


Outside the medical cave, jovial cries of relief and pride echoed throughout the the den tunnels. Lots of activity, laughing and chattering could be heard. Kagome surmised that there must be a celebration going on. The victims she had seen already got up to leave as soon as they were able. No doubt to join in on the festivities. It wasn't long before betas and human were left alone in the medical wing. Kagome smiled and lightly shook her head. Some of those should've stayed a bit lounger but she knew from experience now that none of them would listen anyway. Their demonic healing would probably take care of the rest. Even Ginta and Hakkaku had left to join in. They invited Kagome to go too but she politely declined with a grateful smile.

  
  


After the betas left, Kagome and Hayate did the same but in the opposite direction form the main dining cave. Instead, she made for Kouga's room. It was true that everyone was in an unusually happy mood but she still knew and respected that she was a very unpopular presence in these caves. She doubted a victory feast would suddenly make her presence there acceptable to those that truly detested her kind. She was exhausted from a long night of adrenaline-infused battle. Not to mention squaring off with a giant bird demon without using her holy abilities. There was also a more.....pressing matter at hand that demanded her attention right away....

  
  


* * *

  
  


She was thankful to come upon Kouga's heavy oak wooden door and relieved once it shut securely behind her. This room, despite its unruly inhabitant, was becoming a sort of sanctuary. His royal ass-ness was so determined to get the most out of her he could that she reasoned he would be less motivated to physically hurt her or at least not kill her. Hayate went immediately to his spot and found the bone he had been gnawing on recently. Kagome headed straight for the dresser with a mirror on it, dropping her satchel along the way, and turned around as she draped her long hair over one shoulder and looked at her back.

  
  


There, raging in red and throbbing in pain were several deep scratches. She must've gotten those when that bird-of-paradise lunged at her as she crouched over the unconscious victim. Reflecting back on that moment, she truly had not felt those talons break her skin. They must have been incredibly sharp to leave such gashes without her feeling initial pain. The sharpness of those talons may have been a blessing of sorts....it meant that the skin and muscle tissue were very cleanly sliced. This would allow for healing with minimal scarring at best. She might not even require stitches. Even if she did need stitches, how in the Gods' names was she meant to reach such an awkward spot? Somebody else would have to tend to her and, frankly, that was an impossibility due to the lack of medical training.

  
  


“Owwwwww.......” small beads began building in the corners of her eyes. The pain seemed to be escalating as she paid more attention to feeling the wounds.

It was then that the door opened suddenly revealing a battle-worn Kouga. His long onyx hair was mussed, his hight ponytail almost totally loose, his armor and furs were covered in dirt and stained with dried blood. He had come back now to his chambers, instead of joining in the celebratory festivities, to load more chores on the girl for being so 'cooperative' in the days before the battle. That was until he noticed her looking intently at her back.

  
  


“What's your problem?” he asked with mild curiosity before he saw a lone tear fall down her pained face. Then the red in the mirror caught his eye next and he saw several scratches littering her back. Some looked deep. The sight made everything in his mind come to a screeching halt. Including the plans to punish her for her 'cooperative' attitude recently.

  
  


Kagome straightened quickly and wiped the back of her hand across her eyes to stop any more traitorous tears from coming out.

  
  


“Nothing....nothing to concern yourself with,” she made to hurry past him before she found herself stopped by a solid arm meeting her middle.

  
  


“Let me see,” he lowly ordered as he moved behind her to view her back.

  
  


The injuries were worse than what the mirror had showed. Even he mentally groaned a bit seeing the damage. Not only was her back scratched up but her dress had several small tears in it around the injury site.

  
  


“Why didn't you tell me that you were hurt?” his voice took on a tone with an annoyed edge. All thoughts of punishing her were now forgotten.

  
  


Kagome took a few small steps forward from him. More tears were threatening to fall but she held them in.

  
  


“Why would I tell you? It's been made very clear you don't care about me or what happens to me so long as you get as much use out of me as you can,” she turned quickly, face twisted in a mix of anger and pain, eyes severe and still containing fire despite her injured state.

  
  


Looking into her face wrought with pain, Kouga found himself unable to form any thoughts or words. Maybe it was the potent contrast of anger and pain. Maybe it was the fire of rebellion still alight inside those hazel eyes that strangely reminded him of the forest. Maybe it was the saltiness that he could scent from the tears that had fallen already or the new ones being held back by a flimsy dam. Whatever it was, he just stared lamely at her as she lowered her gaze, new jewel droplets dropping to the cave floor, as she moved to enter the tunnel to the hot spring.

  
  


Apparently, he didn't have some snarky comeback. That was a first.

  
  


Kagome only made it a few more steps before she found the floor leaving her feet once more courtesy of the same stolid arm from before. A clawed hand firmly yet gently held her at her hip and the arm loosely looped over her back, careful not to brush it against anything. Kagome was so tired and in such pain by this point that she merely let him carry her wherever. In just a step or so, she found herself at the side of the large bed.

  
  


“Lie down on your stomach,” a gruff voice commanded softly.

  
  


Kagome felt her breath catch in her throat. She knew that voice. That weird layered voice from that fateful night at her village. She dared look over her shoulder to see those vivid red eyes with blue irises looking at her intently. The beast...or whatever it is....was in control right now. After everything she had been through, she didn't have the emotional energy left to be afraid of this being or argue.

  
  


She gingerly climbed onto the bed and laid down carefully onto her stomach. On the way down, she grabbed the nearest large, fluffy pillow covered in fine silk to serve as a rest for head. Gods knew what this beast had in mind now.

  
  


She chanced a puzzled look at the beast that now approached the bed with a cloth in hand and pail of water in the other.

  
  


'When did he get that cloth? Or the water?' Kagome wondered as she curiously watched him dunk the cloth in the pail, wring it out and then he placed it against the largest scratch on her back.

  
  


Kagome gasped as she buried her face in the pillow, eyes screwed shut. The pain tore through her back and radiated everywhere. The beast continued washing her back methodically, making sure to tend to every scratch. Through the haze of ebbing and flowing pain, Kagome managed to understand that he was cleaning her wounds.....but she didn't have any time or mental capacity to wonder about his sudden helpful attitude. She kept her face buried in the pillow, using it as a buffer for her screams of discomfort and fiery pain.

  
  


Each whimper and protest that he could hear, which was all of them thanks to demonic hearing, set the beast's teeth on edge. Hundreds of thousands of times had he heard shrieks of terror from men, women and children, human and demon alike. Always he had either enjoyed them or paid them no mind. Here in this room though...with this one human girl...it made him feel...uncomfortable.

  
  


'What are you doing?' Kouga asked suspiciously in their shared mind space. He had been watching this scene unfold, perplexed by his beast's actions. It was even stranger that his beast had grabbed control at all.

  
  


_'A damaged human is a useless human,'_ his beast responded as he continued his task, _'the sooner she heals, the sooner she can get back to work.'_

  
  


Kouga supposed that the beast had a fair point...but still... to deign to help a human was....was....well, it just wasn't done and certainly not by a proud wolf like themselves. He also hated to admit that the way the girl had looked at him just a couple of minutes ago had thrown him. He continued to watch through the beast's eyes as his other side finished cleaning the wounds on her back.

  
  


'Hey....use that herb paste stuff that we hate smelling on her back,' Kouga suggested, ' There might be some in that bag of hers over there.'

  
  


Just to help her heal faster so she can get back to work. That's all. He could get behind that reasoning....though he did decide to watch his beastly other half a bit more closely going forward. There have been too many anomalous occasions of late having to do with his beast and strange decisions to simply overlook or play off as nothing.

In any case, it looked like he was stuck sharing the bed with her again until she was healed.


	5. Coming to an understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circumstances force a new dimension of Kouga's and Kagome's relationship to unfold as both struggle to understand one another and maintain their deal.
> 
> While they cautiously continue their uneasy dance; a very contagious disease descends upon the eastern den. How will they cope?

~Forest and Sky~

**by Paw85** ****

**Ch 5 – Coming to an understanding  
**

For the next several days, Kouga tended to Kagome's wounds repeating the same process of washing the area and then applying that stinky herbal paste. He found that smelly stuff was surprisingly effective. Being a fragile human, he figured these cuts would take 2 weeks or more to heal but here she was on day 5 almost completely healed. Her whimpers against the pain lessened as time went by until she just quietly waited for the salve to be applied. He wondered for a moment what was in this stuff but soon decided it didn't matter. It got the job done. Now, she would be back in action and he would get his bed back to himself!

  
  


By the sixth morning, Kagome no longer smelled of blood and the cuts were turning back to her natural cream color skin tone. She looked in the mirror, that showed only horror several days ago, to now see faint memories of injury. Maybe with a bit of luck, the evidence of the scratches would disappear completely! Kagome smiled cheerily at the thought.

  
  


“That paste of yours seems to work alright,” Kouga observed several steps from behind her.

  
  


“Yeah, I always have some on hand. My mother taught me how to make it,” Kagome smiled as she turned to face him.

  
  


It had been.....an experience having her wounds cared for by a demon and even moreso by the mysterious beast side too. During the whole time, she only responded when spoken to. She wanted to know why he went out of his way to help her. Could it really only be to get more use out of her? Could he be that cold? That calculating? Kagome was usually very good at connecting and understanding people but it was difficult to pin him down or make sense of him. Every time she thought she had figured out something about him, he would do or say something that showed a different dimension. His moods seemed to shift like sand as well. It seemed like he either existed in 'stoic mode' or 'super aggressive and scary mode'. Then there was the random 'laugh at her expense mode'. She supposed that maybe things would become clearer as time went on. Assuming she lived to see that day.

  
  


That pleasant thought was always hanging like a shadow at the back of her mind. She may put on a brave face but she was terrified at least 75% of the time and the rest of the time was spent being on highly vigilant guard. It was exhausting but what else was one to do when in her situation? Of course it had crossed her mind to run away should the opportunity present itself but she was convinced if she held up her end of this horrid bargain, then her mother and village would remain safe.

  
  


Still, no matter how much about him she didn't understand or how grim the situation looked, he had helped greatly by taking care of her. If Kagome was anything, she was always grateful for any form of assistance no matter its source.

  
  


Kagome took another step towards him, making sure to establish contact with his sky blue irises, smile still playing across her lips. Kouga watched her closely, eyebrow slightly raised and starting to feel uncomfortable. What was she doing? What did she want now? Even his beast was watching curiously from their shared mind space.

  
  


“Thank you, both of you, for taking care of me,” the priestess continued to smile up at him. Eyes bounced between his, hoping the beast could hear her words of gratitude too.

  
  


“Hah?” was the only intelligent word to come from Kouga's mouth as his head tilted in confusion in a very lupine fashion. Inside their mind space, the beast's giant furry head also tilted the same as he was just as confused if not more so. The beast had never been directly spoken to like this, let alone thanked, outside of a battle or aggressive situations. Kouga himself was rarely thanked by anybody since he was the one doling out orders rather than doing any favor that may incur gratitude.

  
  


**Giggle** “I'm saying 'thank you for taking such good care of me,' Kagome tilted her head to mirror his.

She couldn't help but giggle that even wolf demons tilt their head when confused. It was endearing; just like with their animal counterparts.

  
  


And, just like that, the trademark scowl was back on his handsome face, “Yeah, yeah, move it along, human,” he waved her off towards the door.

  
  


“Kagome,” she straightened back up, still smiling, “My name is Kagome.”

  
  


“I didn't ask for your name, _human_ , now get to work,” Kouga's scowl hardened.

  
  


“Maybe not but you have it anyway,” Kagome exited the room, still smiling, with Hayate dutifully trailing behind.

  
  


Annoyance, discomfort, surprise....none of these things did Kouga like to feel. In fact, he would rather not feeling anything at all. Feelings were for the weak and there was no place for that in a proud alpha wolf. Despite the strangeness of it all, he rolled her name over in his mind as his beast did the same.

  
  


'Kagome....huh...'.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The rest of the day passed without incident. The tribe was still in a very jovial mood with the threat of the birds-of-paradise being a nightmare of the past. There were many nights filled with drink, laughter, plenty of food and camaraderie. This was just what the tribe needed. Now, things could go back to normal, food stores could be rebuilt just in time for the winter season, the pack would increase its ranks next spring with a new generation of cubs and morale couldn't be higher.

  
  


Kouga's stock as leader had vastly improved as well among the pack with the successful assault on the birds-of-paradise under his belt. Not only did he end the threat on the pack, but there were many spoils raided from the birds' nests from weapons to food and many miles of new land added to the eastern tribe's territory. Daily scouting parties were sent to learn about this area and what resources it had that the pack could use. The birds-of-paradise weren't a terribly bright species of youkai so there wasn't much to bring back in terms of tomes, scrolls, maps or other forms of intel. The alpha saw this territory as ideal for an outpost for surveillance. The area could even prove to be a useful battleground to draw enemies towards as the footing was unpredictable and had numerous crevices. His pack could gain the upper hand by using the terrain to their advantage.

  
  


This was all well and good but the victory came with some annoyances as well in the form of unmated females constantly trying to get his attention. He was never lacking in that department anyway being such a catch and an alpha to boot, but he really didn't enjoy or want them waiting on him hand and foot. They had no challenge to them or thrill of the chase and he just didn't find them all that appealing. Plus, he was busy with rebuilding the pack and conquest planning. He would rather they go back to being wary of him. Finding a mate was nowhere on his radar for now or any foreseeable future. He was satisfied with bedding a female of his choosing when it suited him and then moving on. Eventually, he got so annoyed that he snarled at them in clear warning to leave him alone.

  
  


After yet another enjoyable night of feasting, laughs and barrels of saké, Kouga made way to his chambers to sleep it off. He stumbled, half falling, through the door into a dark room. The hearth didn't even have coals burning in it. Kouga was unbothered by the darkness as his yokai abilities afforded excellent night vision. He trudged over to his bed, dropping his chestplate on the floor along the way and sat on the edge. Something....felt off about this room. Quiet. That's it; it's too quiet. He looked on the side of the bed expecting to find a snoring Hayate and disgruntled human girl but the nest of furs was empty. Where the hell could they be at this time of night? He could already tell they weren't at the bath that he never gave expressed permission to use in his absence. Both of his alpha's and the girl's scents were old too. What the hell...? Had the girl finally made a run for it?

  
  


As anger began to set in, he sobered up enough to make a beeline to the tunnels outside his grand oak door to start to track them down. The scents were a bit fresher here but not by much. He kept following the trail until it led him to the medical cave. Now that he was at the entrance, he could scent the human girl, Hayate, one male cub and an adult female. From what he could tell, the cub was ill and the mother was hysterical. He couldn't quite place the cub's name but the mother was one of the very few he somewhat got along with in the pack aside from Ginta and Hakkaku. Her name was Nami. Her mate had been one of the casualties in the struggle against the birds-of-paradise last moon. Nami was an unusual female in that she didn't have the deep seated hatred of humans like the grand majority of the pack did. In fact, he might recall a time that Nami had actually helped a human get some much needed food....or that might be the saké talking. In any case, Kouga felt that the girl would be fine in the medical cave if that was who was in there with her. Plus, Hayate was there too as per always. Now that that was settled, he ambled back into a drunken state and retired to his chambers to sleep alone for the first time in 3 weeks. He looked forward to the quiet and getting a quality night's sleep.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kouga grumbled as he awoke with the sunrise as per usual the next morning. Last night's sleep had _not_ been what he had been expecting. In the absence of the human, he had thought that he would sleep soundly and deeply but he tossed and turned throughout most of the night. He just couldn't seem to get comfortable despite the luxurious softness of his bed and sheets. Kouga swung his legs over the edge of the bed and began to dress for the day as a loud yawn escaped him. The wolf couldn't remember the last time he had woken to feeling so sluggish...or if it had ever happened at all. Today was going to suck but he would muscle through. After putting his long raven hair back up in its trademark high ponytail, he noticed that Hayate's bed was still empty. The girl hadn't come back? That was odd. She had orders to return here every night. Immediately, anger began to light in his body. Today was _so_ not the day to defy him. Oh, he would concoct an extra long list of chores for her today for this insubordination! With that in mind, he stalked out of his chambers and began his search for the willful human.

  
  


His first stop was at the medical cave since that was where he saw her last. To his surprise, and further upset, neither she nor Hayate were in that room. Only Nami and the cub were there. Had he gone into the cave, he might have noticed that Nami was keeping a cold compress on her son's forehead but he was too focused on the scents of the girl and his wolf being old.

  
  


He retreated to the network of tunnels, anger mounting, and continued tracking their scents. Eventually, he was led into the main dining cave. To his knowledge, the human avoided this room whenever possible but this is where his nose and the trail were leading him. The trail stopped at the large waterfall entrance. No....she wouldn't be that stupid, would she? He jumped through the refreshing cold waters to find Hakkaku keeping sentry outside.

  
  


“Mornin', Boss! What brings you out....wow, you look a bit tired. Trouble sleeping?” the beta greeted him.

_"Where is she_?” Kouga bit at him.

  
  


The smile immediately dropped from Hakkaku's face. His leader was in another one of his bad moods. He knew he had very little time to answer before things started getting unpleasant.....

“You mean the human girl? She and Hayate left hours ago,” he responded evenly, hoping to keep the situation from flaring up any further.

  
  


“What do you mean ' _left_ '?” Kouga's voice dropped an octave, indicating further mounting anger.

  
  


“ **Gulp** – I dunno....she and Hayate raced out of here as fast as I have seen him move and traveled to the south,” the nervous beta pointed off in the distance.

  
  


In other words; she had run away.

  
  


Rage exploded inside him and his internal beast began furiously snarling.

  
  


' _After her!'_ the beast roared in their shared mind-space.

  
  


'No. I'm not chasing after some runaway human. She was too much trouble anyway. Let her run. Hayate will be having human for breakfast and that will be the end of it,' Kouga thought back as he closed his eyes, seething.

  
  


The one night he lets his guard down just a little and the human bolts. In all honesty; should he have expected any different? She was just a stupid, pathetic human. Of course she would be out only for herself. That caring for others, even demons, thing she had going on had to have been an act. He reflected back to that night that she had been injured and he had taken care of her. He remembered the tears that ran down her face from fiery hazel irises, the bloody scratches that littered the creamy skin of her back, the whimpers of pain that would escaped her as she screamed into his pillow...and then he remembered the smile and gratitude she gave him the other day along with her name (not that it mattered to know her name....it didn't....it really didn't). So what if she had a bit of healing talent? His jaws clenched and his claws itched. He needed to kill something. He needed to run.

  
  


He roared in fury and sped off in a flurry of winds in the western direction. A few beats afterward, Hakkaku cautiously peeked out from a nearby boulder. His leader was cranky and boy was he _pissed_. What had him so upset? So what if the human left? She was probably just out for herbs wasn't she?.......Wasn't she????.......fuck. Now it was crystal clear why Kouga tore off like he did...but, if he wanted her back, then he just ran off in a completely different direction from the way she went.....what was up with that? Hakkaku sighed in defeat. Despite he and Ginta being friends with Kouga and his seconds-in-command in the pack hierarchy, he would never completely understand his leader. If Kagome was truly gone, he would miss the funny little human that cared.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Over the next couple of days, the jovial mood of the pack dampened with the worsening of their alpha's mood. He had grown more aggressive, colder and even less patient than he had already been before. In answer to his agitated state, his men responded by challenging him to a sparing match. These men now laid in the medical wing as a consequence. It was a common thing for males to spar for practice, settle a dispute or work off anger but their leader was a true terror. This wasn't just some run-of-mill upset.....he was dangerous right now. Those that weren't foolish enough to challenge him, kept their heads down and went about their tasks in a more hurried fashion. Anything to keep their leader anywhere near even keel.

  
  


It wasn't helping either that Kouga still wasn't finding peaceful rest at night. Every night, he tossed and turned and stared at the rocky ceiling of his room. Every morning, he awoke more pissed off and tired than the last. He would look again at Hayate's empty bed and be reminded of the runaway girl all over again. If that mutt had followed through with his orders to kill her if she ran, then why hadn't he come back yet? Had she somehow won over his alpha wolf and they ran off together? He fumed on those thoughts, new rage igniting throughout his blood. That little bitch....he had _known_ this was a bad idea from the start! Why had he listened to his beast? Now he was short a pack healer _and_ an alpha wolf to lead the animals.

  
  


He dressed and was about to tear off to work out his rage in the forest when an all-too-familiar scent of an endless field of flowers wafted under his nose. He sniffed again just to be sure he really was smelling what he thought he was smelling. There was no doubt about it; the human had returned. No way in fuck was he allowing her to stay after pulling such a stunt! Their deal was so done! He would find her, drag her ass to that gods-forsaken village, make her watch as he personally destroyed everything and slaughtered every last human therein! Then, he would hand her off to his men to do as they pleased, which would undoubtedly result in her death once they had their fun.

  
  


* * *

  
  


In no time at all, he entered the medical cave, eyes trained on the girl as she gave some drink to the cub lying on the pallet of furs before gently lowering his head back down. Kouga stalked over purposefully, and, in one fell swoop, had her by the throat and pinned her against the nearby rock wall! A gasp of air and pain burst from her mouth at the impact!

  
  


“What the fuck are you doing back here, human?” he questioned lowly with a definitive edge of danger.

“You run away and then show up back here? Why!?” He thrust her against the wall again, eliciting another yelp of pain from her!

  
  


'Run? He thinks I ran away?' thought Kagome as she took in his face.

  
  


It looked very much like that day when Ginta was injured form being dropped by a bird-of-paradise. Sky blue irises had turned icy cold, brows furrowed in deep upset and jaw clenched tight....though not as tight as that hand around her throat was getting...Kagome attempted to answer but only coughs and a sputter came out as she tried uselessly to get his hold to loosen.

  
  


“What's the matter, human? Don't have any more lies or bullshit to feed me?” he cruelly smiled, increasing his grip just a touch. “You really are just like the rest of your kind....pathetic, weak, vain and more trouble than you're worth...”.

  
  


It was starting to get harder to breathe...Kagome began to panic. She probably only had moments left before he crushed her windpipe. She may finally have to resort to unleashing her holy power....

  
  


“Kyo!” an excited female voice shattered the unfolding deadly drama.

Both alpha and human turned to see the woman picking up her son, crying happy tears.

  
  


“Kyo! Kyo. My son, are you okay?” she wept into his fur shirt after kissing his head multiple times.

  
  


“I'm okay, mama,” he groggily answered as he returned her embrace.

  
  


“This is what's supposed to happen, right? He's going to be okay,right?” she hurriedly asked the human still in the her alpha's deadly grasp.

  
  


Kagome awkwardly nodded her head, eyes beginning to water from lack of air.

  
  


Kouga stared in dumb shock at Nami, then at the cub, then he noticed a nearby mortar and pestle with leftover ground leaves in the bowl and a teakettle over a simple fire.

At that moment it became clear what had happened here: Nami's cub must've fallen ill, Kagome needed herbs to treat him, she journeyed outside of the cave to get them, and returned to treat the now recovering cub. Hayate was here now too, snoozing nearby, completely oblivious to all of the drama unfolding around him.

She had done her job. She hadn't run away.

  
  


Immediately, he released her from his grip as he continued to process this information. She hadn't run away....she had done her job and saved another pack member. Kagome slid down the wall and fell slowly to her hands and knees, coughing and taking in slow deep breathes. Kouga watched as she tried to regain her breathe, still in shock and completely at a loss as what to say or do. He had been so certain that she had run away, therefore terminating their deal!

  
  


Reeling on the floor from her close brush with death, all Kagome could focus on was her breathing. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins and her heart pounded in her ears. Light shivers radiated throughout her body. She had been yelled at by Kouga before....insulted...demeaned....forced to endure his pack's awful treatment of her and dragged into a battle with another youkai race....but this was the first time he had physically assaulted her. The strength in that hand brought to light how careless she had been when interacting with him. She had been so focused lately on showing him that he wouldn't break her that she forgot that he was a horrifyingly strong demon. Taking her life wouldn't even be a trifle to a being like him....Her stomach lurched and suddenly she felt dizzy. Somehow, she got up to her feet and dashed out of the room as fast as she could manage, stumbling here and there along the way. Hayate trotted after his charge; keeping to his task as per always.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kagome ran. Where she was running to, she didn't know or care....anywhere...anywhere but here! Eventually, she found herself tearing through Kouga's large oak door and came to a rest sitting near the edge of the balcony. For a moment....just for a moment, she wondered what harm would there be if she walked off of that cliff. It would end this torture and this horrid deal. She would be free....but, no, she could not, would not leave her mother behind or her village. She couldn't help anybody if she was dead. Instead, she sobbed into her hands. After a few minutes, a wet nose and furry snout nudged against her head as a low chuff blew against her hair. Even through the tears that filled her eyes, she knew it was her lupine babysitter.

  
  


“It hurts....it really hurts, Hay-chan...” she whimpered, “How am I supposed to survive this?”

  
  


The big brown wolf merely pushed his muzzle against her tear stained face. Kagome circled her arms around his neck, burying her fingers deep in his fur much like she had on their first herb run together. She continued to cry as he lied down, making himself more comfortable. Just like last time, he patiently waited for her to finish. He was large, furry and warm.....and a great comfort after such a harrowing experience back in the medical cave. Eventually, she lay cuddled into his side as he played the part of a massive pillow. She didn't know how she could face his royal ass-ness after today. Would he assault her again? She stroked Hayate's fuzzy shoulder as she pondered. Did he have to be so cruel? She was upholding her end of the bargain for Gods' sake!

  
  


Then a new question rose to the surface....he had made it so abundantly clear that her life didn't matter to him....so why did he react so strongly? He was also convinced that she had run away....that part seemed to bother him most. Why would that be if he truly cared so little about what happens to her?....

  
  


'He was worried...' Kagome sat up slowly with this revelation, almost dismissing it immediately. It sounded absurd in all honesty.

'It may be just to get what use he can out of me....but he was still worried...because he didn't know where I was, what I was doing, why I left or whether I was coming back...and I didn't tell him anything either before I left....he was worried...so worried and upset that he resorted to violence,' she recalled several injured men back at the medical cave.

  
  


They all looked like they had lost badly in a fist fight. Did Kouga injure all of those men just because she left without saying anything? Just like that, Kagome began to see that this whole situation couldn't be completely blamed on Kouga. _She_ was part of the problem too. If she had communicated what was happening, then, this issue probably wouldn't have taken place. The ass was certainly in the wrong for hurting her but she didn't help matters by just taking off in the middle of the night without so much as a word.

  
  


'He was worried because I matter. Even if it's in a small way. Even if it's only in a self-interested way. I matter to him,' She sat on her feet now as Hayate lifted his head to see she had changed positions. She brought a hand up near her throat that was almost crushed by a large demonic hand today.....it was tender to the touch. Would marks appear from where he gripped her?

  
  


Just then, she heard the creaking of the wooden door to the balcony. She had been so lost in deep thought, emotions and physical pain that she startled very noticeably with a **gasp!** Through the door walked a hesitant and uncomfortable alpha. After the scene in the medical cave, Nami had looked up at him sharply in disapproval as if silently chastising him. That human girl had just healed her son! And that human almost lost her life for it?

He looked down at his clawed hand that only moments ago held a fragile human throat in it. The realization of having almost killed her setting in. His stomach fell, his chest tightened, robbing him of breath, and a very unpleasant grittiness seared his veins. 

Guilt.

Was that what this feeling was?

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt anything close to guilt. Every action and word was made with utmost confidence and any that challenged him were swiftly defeated in a fight. Emotions weren't something that were talked about openly in wolf demon culture. Those who felt strongly or showed tears were often regarded as weak, pathetic and worthless.

A memory of his father backhanding him across the face as a cub suddenly came in crystal clear in his mind. His father had struck him for failing to be perfect in one of their training sessions. Kouga had tried so hard that day but couldn't meet the ever-rising expectations of his parents.

'There is no room for tears or feelings in battle! Ugh, you disgust me! I don't understand how such a pathetic runt like you can be my son! Stop crying, whelp, and do it again! You're not eating or sleeping until you get it right!

  
  


He lightly shook his head of the horrible memory. For decades now, those memories had been locked away deep in the darkest reaches of his mind. Why were they coming up now all of a sudden? Maybe it was because he just hurt somebody smaller than him, weaker than him, that couldn't defend themselves. He had hurt her but he still needed her talents. If he was going to keep making use of her, then he would need her cooperation.

  
  


It did not go unnoticed that she drew closer to Hayate in response to his arrival. Was she finally afraid of him now? It wasn't that long ago that that had been a goal for the wolf to achieve. Back then, he would've felt great about intimidating her to the point of bowing to his authority. Now that she was acting skittish like a hunted deer, he felt conflicted and unsure....and he hated it. He hated feelings. They only made things annoyingly complicated. That was why he had trained himself long ago to feel nothing. What good were they to a proud warrior like him? He always had to look and act strong. It was the best way of garnering and keeping respect aside from proving one's physical strength was superior to others.

  
  


After a few moments, Kagome drew her knees to her chest and returned her somber gaze to the distant horizon as she stroked Hayate's head. Kouga stood in the doorway a few beats longer at a loss of where to even begin. Finally, he cleared his throat, walked over and sat next to Hayate's unoccupied side.

  
  


“When did you two get so friendly?” he asked, looking at the side of her tear stained face. The wind blew some of her locks back, offering a view of a developing bruise. The sight made him wince a little and that nagging feeling of guilt flared. He stamped it back down.

  
  


“We...have an understanding, I guess,” the priestess responded softly, keeping her gaze fixed ahead of her. In truth, she had only petted Hayate by pure accident. His soft, warm fur brought her a small comfort and she was grateful for it in her moment of desperation.

  
  


“I...I'm sorry...for hurting you...back there,” Kouga mentally kicked himself for faltering at his words but apologies felt weird. Worse, they felt wrong because he was the alpha and he was apologizing to a human of all beings. As the leader, he was never expected to apologize; only lead and provide. Strong. He was only meant to be strong.

  
  


“Hurting me?...” she barely whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

  
  


Seeing that tear made his stomach fall further and he began to internally panic.

  
  


“Hurting me!?” she whipped around, the forest of her eyes ablaze with indignation, “you nearly _killed_ me!” her voice voice rose several octaves during the course of that one sentence. Apparently, she wasn't afraid of him after all...

  
  


Kouga was taken aback for a moment before he retorted “If you hadn't run away this wouldn't have happened!” And those feelings of guilt were banished. Replaced by all-to-familiar-rage.

  
  


“If you could control your temper, this wouldn't have have happened! All of those newly injured men back there are your doing aren't they?” she shouted back!

  
  


Hayate laid his head down at this point with a resigned groan. He was really not enjoying this shouting match.

  
  


“I had no idea what you were doing or where you were or why you left! What was I supposed to think?!” he bit in return!

  
  


“Ah-ha! I knew it! You were worried about me!” she pointed at him in victory.

  
  


Kouga blinked in stunned silence, eyes almost crossed as they focused on her incriminating finger in his face. He didn't have a comeback for being accused of being worried about the human girl. It was simply too shocking to contemplate.

  
  


“The boy took a turn for the worse late that night. I felt I had to go right away or that child might have been too far gone to save. The herb I needed turned out to be hard to find around here. That's why it took so long for me to return, ” she added in a softer, more emotional tone, “but I also see that I messed up by not telling you what was happening. For that, I am sorry,” she finished, turning towards him fully.

  
  


Kouga took in her words, surprised that she apologized for her part in this too and the guilt returned as he saw the rest of the bruises on her throat from his hand. This human was at least somewhat intelligent and independent. Much more so than any other human he had dealt with. She seemed to be holding up her end of the deal. If he had just allowed her to do her thing, then, all of this bullshit drama could've been avoided.

  
  


“Then, let's come to our own understanding,” he began, “I will allow you to come and go as needed for those herb runs of yours only. Any other purpose must be approved by me. Hayate must always be with you. You can also use my hot spring whenever you wish because I hate the smell of those herbs. You need my expressed permission if you're leaving for longer than a day or leaving eastern tribe territory. I expect daily reports on all injured or ill, especially if there's anything serious going on. Got it, human?” he finished.

  
  


'He's deciding to trust me?' Kagome was almost in shock.

  
  


“Don't misunderstand me, girl. I'm granting you a bit of freedom of choice but I will have orders to give in addition to your regular healing duties and I expect them to be carried out or you will be punished-,” Kagome's hand immediately went to her throat , “-in non-violent ways...” he carefully added. Threatening her with physical punishment was never the way he wanted to go with her anyway in the long run. Instead, he would return to the 'don't-get-mad-get-even' approach that had worked well in the beginning. It provided him entertainment, got his point across and avoided him misjudging his strength and causing accidental injury...Today was case in point.

  
  


“So......” he prompted, arching an onyx brow over eyes blue as the sky.

  
  


Kagome rewrapped her arms around her legs, bringing them back in to her chest, expression softening but also somber “If you're asking whether I accept your terms, then, yes........but if you're asking if I forgive you for hurting me...for almost killing me.....then, no,” she returned to gazing out over the surrounding forest. New tears fell slowly down her creamy cheeks splotched with red from emotional distress.

  
  


A new wave of guilt washed over him upon hearing that she didn't forgive him. It hit so hard and so unexpectedly, that he felt a sudden need to get out of there.

  
  


“Suit yourself, human,” he stood up abruptly and strode away quickly, closing the door with a back kicking foot.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It wasn't until he found a secluded spot in the tunnels that he stopped and punched the wall. Somewhere in their shared mind-space, his beast let out a short mournful whine.

  
  


'Shut it, furball!' Kouga bit at his beastly other half, 'We got what we came for. We still have a pack healer. She can be pissy all she wants. All that matters is that she keeps working for us.'

  
  


The beast knew his humanoid half was right but the situation just didn't sit well with him. Being an entity full of rage and power, he was poorly equipped to deal with all of these uncomfortable feelings. In fact, he struggled to understand what these feelings even were. Kouga was just as poorly prepared and thus stuffed them into the back of his mind. Choosing instead to focus on things he could actually do something about....like leading the afternoon hunt. Usually, he delegated that to somebody else to do as he often viewed it as a pain in the ass but he needed to move and expend all of this energy. Sparring might have helped but he recently exhausted that avenue. None of his men would want to challenge him anytime soon. So, he would hunt. At least he could put this energy to good use. It was infinitely better than dwelling on the interaction with the girl back outside his room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Said girl sat in the same spot Kouga had left her in for several minutes more. She knew that there was still work to do. There was a pile of injured men probably still needing attention back in the medical cave. She decided that they could wait a awhile longer for her to get her bearings. It wasn't everyday that one faces their mortality and she needed a few minutes to find her center. Sadness still gripped her mind and her throat hurt. She got up and looked in Kouga's mirror atop the dresser in his room to see the damage. Five fresh marks stared back at her; making the perfect shape of a memory of an angry fist. These marks were going to be tough to hide. Maybe if she layered her long hair just so, then she could at least avoid drawing attention to herself. She worried that if the others saw these injuries, then they may get some awful idea to hurt her further since their leader already broke his own rule about harming her.

  
  


Eventually, the priestess made her way back to the medical cave along with her furry babysitter. Some of the men from earlier had already left. Chances are that they healed already and had no further need of her services. She saw to those that still laid on the fur pallets and checked on the sick little boy from earlier. His mother sat beside him stroking his hair as he rested. Kagome placed her hand over the boy's forehead and cheeks.

  
  


“He's still pretty warm but I think he's doing much better than he was last night,” Kagome smiled at the mother, “He will need several more days' rest, keep him hydrated and...is there something easy to digest that wolf demons eat?”

She felt somewhat awkward asking this mother about the wolf demon diet. All she had seen them eat was raw meat and guzzle gallons of saké. A human on that diet would become ill very fast.

“There is a stew that I make when he's not feeling well. It seems to help,” Nami replied as she met Kagome's gaze.

  
  


This action surprised the girl. She was so used to the other demons either refusing to talk to her or taking a swipe at her that all she could was stare dumbly at the mother for a few moments.

  
  


“Close your mouth human, flies will get in,” she chuckled with a teasing smile.

  
  


“Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just not used to...having an actual conversation when I ask something or try to help. Usually, I get ignored or they try to hurt me,” Kagome finished with a nervous laugh.

  
  


“Um-hmm, I heard about that,” the mother returned her gaze to her sleeping son, “your presence here is a popular topic.”

  
  


“It-it is?” Kagome queried.

Why on earth would she be a topic of conversation for a bunch of man-eating wolves?

  
  


“Indeed,” Nami nodded, “even though we already know why you're here, most of us can't fathom how our illustrious leader could bring a human into our home that isn't for eating.”

  
  


“Oh....” the miko didn't know what to say to that statement.

It was no secret that her presence in these caves ruffled a lot feathers...er, fur. Now that her son was going to okay, would this she-wolf turn out to be one of her 'fans' that simply wants her destroyed or eaten?

  
  


“Relax, human, I don't mind that you're here. Never did. You're okay in my book. Now that you have helped Kyo, you're better than okay. Thank you for helping him,” she bowed her head.

  
  


“Oh! It's my pleasure! I'm glad I could help him,” Kagome hurriedly bowed in return,“I-I just can't believe -...”

  
  


“-that somebody in this den has actual manners?” Nami finished for her.

  
  


When Kagome's only reaction was a surprised expression, Nami just laughed good-naturedly.

  
  


“This cave is full of brutes, our leader included, and stuck up bitches. Pay none of them any mind,....” Nami met her gaze expectantly.

  
  


“Kagome,” the priestess offered.

  
  


“I'm Nami and this is Kyo,” the she-wolf gestured to herself and then to the small boy.

  
  


Kagome only smiled wider at the thought of making new friends in this hell. Nami and Kyo definitely looked to be mother and son. Both had sharp golden eyes, a deep amethyst for hair color and peach tone skin. Nami wore a fur kilt and fur leg warmers like the rest of the pack but she also had a leather breast guard with fur shoulder pads and wore a necklace with some small charm on it. Her toned midriff was bare and one arm had a furry gauntlet on it. Kyo had short hair like his mother, fur wristbands on each arm, a fur kilt and a matching vest that was haphazardly tied together in the front as if he had missed a button.

  
  


“I must tell you, Nami, that I have seen this disease before in my travels,” Kagome now became serious and lowered her voice, “Kyo has contracted what's called 'dysentery'. It has been sweeping the countryside for sometime now. It's very contagious, brings fever with it, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. It's a messy illness but not fatal if you keep the afflicted person hydrated and give him things to eat that are easy to digest. His fever may spike again. Keep giving him that mint tea a few times a day to help with the fever. Other than that, he needs rest and his demonic healing should help too.”

  
  


“How did he get this....'dysentery'?” Nami also spoke lowly to avoid eavesdropping ears.

  
  


“He probably ate meat from an animal that was already sick with it. That's why I cook my food thoroughly. I believe it helps protect me at least a little from diseases like this one,” Kagome explained, “be careful, Nami. Like I said before: it's very contagious. Touching him exposes you to it. You might get sick too.”

  
  


“Doesn't that mean you're also exposed?” Nami looked at her with furrowed brows of concern.

  
  


“Yes....well, I get exposed to a lot of things because I help those that are ill. I'll be fine,” Kagome assured her.

'I hope', she added mentally.

Illness was a funny thing in that even if you take all of the precautions you can think of, you're bound to get sick sooner or later.

“Hm, let us hope you are right...there's no one else if you fall ill,” Nami looked back down at her sleeping son.

“Well, I'll just have to be extra careful then,” Kagome responded confidently.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Walking out of the medical cave, Kagome reflected back on the conversation she had with Nami. She was fairly certain that Kyo had a bout of dysentery and if that was so, there may be several others that will become sick in the next several hours. They all ate from similar food sources and the caves were....filthy to say the least. Maybe it was because they were demons and they hardly ever got ill? She had seen many times now how amazing their healing abilities were. Still, even the strongest bodies can stumble in the face of a stubborn infection. If there were to be more to help with this infection, then she would need a lot more of the mint herb that Kyo needed.

  
  


* * *

  
  


She hurried to one of the den's side entrances to see there was still many hours left before sundown. The rule of being back in the den by sunset was probably still in effect and she didn't want to deal with his royal ass-ness any more today than necessary. She wasn't ready to face him again after their altercation and following discussion. He had scared her in that moment. Finally, she was able to admit to herself that she was frightened of him now. Before, she had been wary of Kouga and then she had been slowly getting used to him, believing he wouldn't outright hurt her in order to keep using her services. During the course of it all, her guard had lowered a bit and and she had paid the price. She would have to have a better guard now around him and everybody else. If animals could scent fear; then, their demonic counterparts probably could too. She felt reasonably certain that none of them had picked up on her fear so far and she wanted to keep it that way as much as possible so as to keep untoward attention off of her.

Once she got her trusty satchel and other traveling odds and ends, she mounted Hayate and off they went to garner more herbs to help with a possible outbreak of dysentery. If nothing happened after Kyo's case, then, she would be prepared if it arose again in the near future. Now that she knew where to go; she estimated that it gathering these herbs would go much faster than the first time.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Roaming somewhere nearby looking for suitable prey, Kouga caught the scent of endless fields of flowers. He jumped up into the forest canopy and followed the scent until he caught a flash of Hayate running through the grasses with the human girl. She had gotten skilled at wolf riding. He had been a bit surprised to see her riding atop Hayate that first time she came back from herb hunting. His alpha wolf was very taciturn and territorial. Stoic; just like him. But his wolf seemed to be warming up to the girl and this left Kouga puzzled. Hayate could also be a very aggressive wolf. He had eaten many a human before the girl arrived at the den. He even allowed her to pet him, which is something he usually only allowed Kouga to do. Oh, well, no point in trying to figure this out now. She was supposedly doing her job and he was happy to leave her to it.

  
  


Once more, he reflected back on their discussion, that she hadn't forgiven him. He had been running already for miles and it was still bothering him...that look in her eyes...those bruises on her throat that he had put there in a fit of rage....Damn it! Why the hell couldn't he just let these thoughts go? It shouldn't matter one iota to him....it shouldn't. Making concessions on their deal didn't seem to help him feel any better either or smooth over the situation. More than once now had he gone in circles in his head over the whole thing. Then, he recalled how she smiled at him after he took care of her injuries from the bird-of-paradise battle. Frustration began to build again so he turned tail and returned to the hunt. Perhaps he would leave her to her own devices for awhile. Maybe his mind would clear and he can look upon her again without feeling uncomfortable.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Human and wolf returned just as the sun was beginning to set over the horizon. Kagome was pleased to have a healthy variety of herbs to add to her stores, including the one to help with future dysentery cases. The mint and several others were excellent anti inflammatory plants for fevers. She half jogged back to the medical cave as Hayate trotted after her.

'Uh-oh...' her heart picked up several beats as she heard the telltale signs of vomiting coming from within.

Sure enough, several more children had been brought into the medical cave. There were a couple of men too. Each was groaning in various levels of discomfort.

“Hay-chan, get that bucket and fill it with water,” Kagome directed as she ran over to her desk and quickly sorted the day's findings.

  
  


Next, she made a cold, minty compress for each person as Hayate carried a pail of fresh water in his strong jaws. Each ill child had at least one parent with them, save for two. They seemed to be siblings, twins maybe. Kagome hadn't gotten a good look at any of them yet as the symptoms in this room needed to be contained and that meant cleaning when a patient didn't require attention. Thankfully, this time, it was easier to administer care as the men were too ill to object and the parents of the children were simply too worried. Kagome wondered if illness was rare among demon kind because their strong bodies usually protected them. Once the cave was as clean as it was going to get and a kettle was on the flame for boiling water for tea, she began taking stock of each ill person. She didn't recognize any of them from the main dining cave. She supposed that she shouldn't be surprised. The pack seemed to be at least 100 members or so large, maybe more. The only ones she had seen more than a few times were, Hayate, Ginta, Hakkaku and his royal ass-ness. She elected to push _him_ out of her mind for now. There were people here that needed her help....and three more just came in on stretchers.

'Gods, this is going to be a long night...' Kagome mentally sighed.

She waved down Ginta and relayed that there was a very contagious disease going around, to boil all water and cook all food thoroughly until it passed. Ginta originally wrinkled his nose in disgust about cooking all food as they all preferred raw meat. The bloodier, the better! At her insistence, he agreed to spread the word.

And so the cycle of making compresses, boiling tea and cleaning floors of vomit continued far into the night and into the next day. At some point, unbeknownst to the hardworking priestess, Kouga observed from the cave entrance. His beta had told him that there was an illness going around. From the looks of things...there were at least 17 men, 10 women and 5 cubs all sick. He reasoned a group of this size should be easy since the human girl saw to many more her first night here in the den. His eyes tracked the girl as she moved about quickly from one vomiting wolf demon to bringing tea to another. Was it his imagination or did he see some extra color in her face? Whether there was or wasn't, he had to keep his distance from this outbreak. As alpha, he couldn't afford to get sick. The pack could fall into disorder and some fool might try to take the position of leader. Of course, he would swiftly relieve any moron that tried it. Still, it was best to stay healthy and keep an eye on things remotely. Again, his sharp gaze tracked Kagome. This was the first time he had taken the time to observe her in her element. She seemed dedicated to what she was doing. Good; that's what she was here for. Still, he made a mental note to keep an eye on the situation.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Three more days passed and the medial cave thinned out of the grand majority of the sick. There were only a few resting and on their way to recovery. Each night, Kouga observed from the entrance again. From what he could tell, this outbreak was almost over but the girl was looking a bit worse for wear. He doubted she had slept a wink since this started and he saw very little evidence of food having been eaten.

For a short while now, the girl had been hunting game on her own instead of taking from the dining cave. He had to admit that he was impressed with her independence and ingenuity. Never had he seen a human act resourceful or intelligent. He couldn't decide if he was more perplexed by her compassion for his kind or her courage to function within a demon den. Being nice to people here had already repaid her in insults and attempts at injury. Being stupid didn't seem to fit as a logical conclusion anymore since the actions failed to match what a stupid person might do. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment? Or....there's still the option that she actually is sincere in showing compassion to his people. It still sounded absurd; even now using the process of elimination.

The sound of a soft thump followed by a lupine whine caught his attention now and he just knew intuitively that something was off. Immediately, he strode into the cave and found Kagome fainted on the floor. He crouched on the floor next to her and gently shook her shoulders. When she didn't respond, he turned her over onto her back to see her cheeks were flushed and her features seemed to be strained as if denoting pain. Small beads of sweat had gathered at her hairline and dripped lazily down her face. He could feel the extra heat coming off her and found that her forehead was burning to the touch.

'Shit...' he mentally cursed.

The human was sick. What now? There wasn't anybody else trained in healing aside from her. He could've ordered Nami to step in but she wasn't a healer and that cub of hers was still recovering from his own illness. Kouga cast a glance over his shoulder at the remaining sick in the medical cave. He was relieved to find them all sound asleep. Since there was nobody else to heal the human, that left him to take care of her and he couldn't be seen doing that by the pack. He would never live down the disgrace of being labeled a human sympathizer.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Within moments, he gathered the girl to his chest, sped out of the medical cave in a flurry of wind and dust and brought her back to his chambers. She was really burning up now. Fuck, he needed some cold water to cool her down and fast! He sped through the tunnel, out to the balcony and ran up the sheer face of the mountain until he came upon the same level as the great waterfall that cascaded over the entrance to his den. This was far from the mountain's peak but the waters were fresh and ran very cold. Very few pack members journeyed to this altitude. In fact, he was the only wolf in this pack who could scale the cliffs as he just did. A point of pride for his strength and speed! They would have privacy up here and he could focus on getting her temperature down. He looked down at his charge and felt that same damn twinge of guilt in his gut. She was still passed out, cheeks flushed and those bruises on her throat were still clear as day. He would do this to even the score, so he could stop feeling guilty and to keep her working as pack healer.

  
  


He scoured the banks of the raging river rapids, looking for a lazier piece of the river in which to place her in. Eventually, he found a place where the river pooled a bit to the side from the main hustle and jumped in with her still bundled in his arms. He stood deep enough in the water up to his chest level, which submerged most of her, save for her knees and face. Fucking hell, this water was _cold_! If this didn't bring her temperature down, nothing would. He anxiously watched her as they soaked in the chilly waters. Eventually, he felt her burrow deeper into his hold as the chill soaked through her muscles. A low groan of discomfort escaped her lips as she adjusted to find warmth. She settled again after finding a nice warm spot where his neck and shoulder meet. He took this as a sign of improvement and he could also feel her temperature had dropped closer to what he would expect to be normal for a human. He gladly stepped out of the water and sped them back down to his room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Both were still dripping wet when they arrived back into his bedroom. He went to place her in his chair temporarily so he could get a fire going in the hearth but she wouldn't let go, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck, refusing to let go of the wonderful warmth he provided.

  
  


'Damn it...' he mentally growled in annoyance before deciding to juggle her in one arm as he built that fire with the other.

  
  


A few dropped logs and growled curses later, he managed to get a fire going. Kouga wondered once it was substantial enough if she would let go. Of course he could have easily pried her arms from around his neck but he needed to keep her warm so she could revive, recover from illness and get back to work.

  
  


Her grip did loosen as the room warmed and seemed to be in a deep sleep. Kouga yawned loud and long. It must be really late into the night by now. He hadn't been sleeping much since their...fight...he didn't know what else to call it. He dragged Hayate's bed of furs closer to the fire and placed her on them. Surprisingly, she let him go without any objection. He growled to direct his alpha wolf to come lie down with her. Between the fire and Hayate's fur, she should be warm enough to sleep through the rest of the night. With that settled, he stripped himself of all clothing and settled in into his bed under silky sheets and layers of furs. Within minutes, he was out as he listened to her rhythmic breathing.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Not an hour later, he was awakened by strange soft sounds coming from somewhere nearby. He grumpily scanned the room for the source to find the sounds came from the human girl by the now dwindling fire. Upon closer inspection, he found her curled into a tight shivering ball in Hayate's side. He crouched near her and found her fever was back, though far less in strength than before. How is it she seemed to be shivering from cold but was also warm to the touch? She was fine seemingly minutes ago...ugh, humans...so finicky and irritatingly fragile. It was late and he was not in the mood to be dealing with more issues so he scooped her up once more in his arms and tucked them both deep inside the bed's covers. Her shivering died down quickly as her body soaked up the delicious heat from his youkai body as he held her from behind in a secure embrace. After a contented sigh from her, he finally allowed his eyes to shut as her scent of endless fields of flowers enveloped his senses, relaxing him. How long had it been since he took in her unique aroma?

  
  


'Too long....' was his final inner monologue before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

  
  


Kagome spent the grand majority of the next few days sleeping in his luxurious bed. When she was awake, it was for short bursts of taking a bath, maybe eating a tiny bit, drinking some fresh water, only to doze off once more. Kouga was becoming increasingly distraught. How the hell were there so many humans in the world if they got sick easily and took forever to decide whether they would recover?! If a demon had been down this long, they would have been in serious fatal trouble! Whenever he couldn't be there in the room, he left Hayate to lie beside her on the bed. Normally, he never let Hayate on the bed since the wolf had is own nest of furs on the floor but this was an unusual situation. He needed the girl to recover as soon as possible and keeping her warm seemed to be important so long as she wasn't hot to the touch. At night, he would shoo the wolf off the bed and slide into bed next to her. Despite being asleep, she would snuggle deeper into his hold. Kouga wasn't sure what he thought about being a source of comfort for a human girl but he was slowly starting to admit to himself that he rather liked her scent and took deep draws of it each night. He had given up trying to figure out why her scent seemed to calm him in a way nothing else could. His sleep had been improving as well since she was back in his room too. It didn't make any lick of sense but, oh, well.

On the morning of the fourth day, Kagome awoke feeling greatly refreshed and oh-so-comfortable. Was this a dream? A fever-induced hallucination? No, everything felt _great!_ Her joints were no longer aching, her mind was clear and she felt strong and energetic. She sighed happily with a smile and rubbed her face against the plush pillow, enjoying the weight of cozy, warm covers. A wet nose poked against her forehead and she lazily opened an eye to sparkling amber eyes of a giant brown fuzzball. She giggled as she stroked his head and he snuffled her face and hair.

“Wait, how come you're so low?” she softly asked with a smile. The height didn't make sense. She was supposed to be sharing Hayate's bed according to his royal ass-ness so why-? Her eyes bounced around her to find she was in said royal ass-ness's bed! When? How? And speak of the demon, there he was snoring right next to her...and he seemed to be holding her too in a suspicious embrace....

“Wha-what's going on?” She scrambled gracelessly out from under the covers, “What happened to you keeping your hands to yourself!?” she pointed an incriminating finger at the slowly rousing alpha.

  
  


**Yawn** “Good, you must be feeling better if you're screaming the mountain down again,” he rose up from the bed, arcing his back as he stretched with arms raised over his head.

  
  


“Before you start screeching, let me clarify a few things: no, we did not sleep together like _that_. I believe I already made myself clear that I have no interest in touching you that way. Second, you got sick and couldn't seem to decide whether you're too warm or too cold so I kept you warm. You should be thanking me. Though, I don't know why _you're_ so upset,” he continued as he held up a hand, effectively silencing her before she could retort, “ _you_ were the one that didn't want to let go of me after I dunked you in the river to cool you down. And it was _your_ chattering teeth that kept me awake until I held you. And _theeeeeeeeen_ , you snuggled into me every night....so, really, it looks more like _you_ are the one needing to 'keep your hands to yourself',” he added cockily with a smirk as he quoted her from a previous tirade.

  
  


'Oh, Gods, did I really do that?.....” Kagome thought, mortified beyond belief.

She had snuggled up to this asshole? And multiple times at that? She was never going to live this down, was she?

As she was having her internal freakout, Kouga got up and dressed for the day, chuckling at her silliness. He knew that her snuggling into his hold was most likely an instinctual survival move but it felt good to rile her up again after several days of great discomfort. Maybe things were going to get back to 'normal', for lack of a better word.

'Wait....how did I get back here.....I was working in the medical cave, then I started to feel really hot and dizzy and then...I think I fainted,' she mentally retraced her steps, ' then....' her memory was a bit hazy after that and only came back in pieces.

She could recall feeling somebody checking her forehead for fever, taking a really cold bath, greedily drinking cool fresh water and eating a few bites of food here or there.

The realization hit her like a lightning bolt: 'I got sick and he took care of me....he took care of me...' her gaze drifted over to Kouga as he was finishing tying up his hair into his trademark high ponytail.

“Have you caught up yet?” he smirked at her again.

“You took care of me again,” she said as if in awe.

“Don't read too much into it, girl,” he chuckled dismissively, “I just wanted you back to work sooner rather than later.”

“Hey,” he met her gaze again, “Why did you push yourself this far for a bunch of demons? None of them would have done the same for you.” He was genuinely curious. Never had he seen a human try so hard for a bunch of demons before at the expense of their own well-being. This girl, however, seemed to defy that common knowledge.

“It's my job as a healer to...well...heal,” she answered, “they were suffering and some of them were children.....I don't like to see people in pain.....especially if I can help them,” she looked off to the side and then back over to him warily, “...and...that first night, I had to help all of those people without food or sleep. You said you would kill me if I failed.....so I thought...you might still kill me if I failed this time....”.

Did he say that? It sounds like something he would have said....Then the memory of that first night replayed in his mind. She had a point; he grumbled to himself in mild annoyance.

“Didn't I just promise that I wouldn't discipline you violently? What use would I get out of you if I kill you now? I needed to know that night if you could prove what you claimed back at your village and so far you have. Keep being useful to me, follow my orders and I won't have a reason to feed you to my wolves, understood?” he finished without the usual sharp touch of authority.

Since fear hadn't yielded any measurably good results, he decided to try another tactic via non-violence with cooperation. In order to get her cooperation, he would have to build her trust. It went against every other strategy he had used before but this girl was an unusual case. His mind balked at being nice to a human.....but....

“Thank you....thank you for taking care of me,” Kagome's features visibly softened with relief at his words and a smile began to play across her lips.

She made to leave the room but Kouga blocked her path, picked her up at her waist and dropped her back on the bed.

“You....are staying here for today,” he wagged a finger in front of her, other hand on his hip, talking to her sternly as if she were a disobedient child, “you're of no use to me if you work until you drop. Get back to it tomorrow.”

“What? But there may still be people to help-” she began to object.

**Sigh** “you must really be feeling better if you're defying me already,” he shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger.

“Stay,” he lightly pushed her back onto the bed by her shoulder. 'Light' for him was a decent shove for her. Just for good measure, he gestured with his head to Hayate to jump up and plop down on top of her.

Confident that his point had gotten across; Kouga turned and left the room to tend to the tribal duties he had been shirking during the time Kagome was sick.

He walked away with a small secret grin. Somehow, he knew that he had been forgiven and the nagging guilt that had plagued him for days subsided.

  
  


* * *

Back in Kouga's chambers, the priestess struggled underneath a mountain of immovable fur.

"I hope that you heard that, Hay-chan! He said I could live so long as I'm useful to him. No more order to kill me if I stray too far," she wriggled to no avail.

“Hayate! Get off!” she shoved against his massive body but he wouldn't budge.

“Fine, you win! You both win! I'll stay here today,” she grumbled in defeat.

  
  



	6. Request from the west

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer settles in nicely for the eastern pack until a neighboring pack drops in with a request for aid. Once again, the east, along with a human girl in tow, suit up for battle. 
> 
> Kagome has somehow gained a few admirers and continues her strange dance with Kouga.

~Forest and Sky~

**by Paw85**

**Ch 6 – Request from the west**

Another week had passed and summer was now in full swing in August. The sun beat down strongly but was also very welcomed by the forests, animals and cubs playing about the hills around the eastern den. Many pack members were either sunbathing or cooling themselves in the shade of the trees or soaking feet in the cold waters of the nearby creek. A gentle breeze danced through clear blue skies adding to the lazy contentedness of this afternoon.

  
  


The bout of dysentery had finally cleared out of the den. With no more people to help; Kagome seized this opportunity of slowness to go on an herb run to replenish stores hard hit by the outbreak. The priestess couldn't help but smile so much it hurt her cheeks. The day was simply so beautiful and things seemed to be looking up regarding her life servitude to Kouga and his wolves. She supposed she had been here roughly a month by now. In no way had it been easy and she had been terrified through most of it. She had incurred some injuries and gotten ill too in a short span of time. If nothing else, life in the eastern den was eventful so she had learned to truly savor these slow periods. One never knew when the next crisis or challenge was around the corner.

  
  


Speaking of challenges....there was a quiet one that had been smoldering in the background from the start and that was the pack's resentment of her presence in the caves. She did whatever she could to remain out of sight when she wasn't in the recovery wing like doing her own hunting so she could avoid the main dining cave and using a less commonly used cave entrance to come and go. Despite these efforts, she could feel unfriendly eyes on her from time to time. Kouga's order to 'do NOT touch, kill or eat this' was probably her only saving grace from their loathing of her humanity. She wondered if all demons were this way or just wolf demons. Thankfully, she had found some friendship with the betas, Ginta and Hakkaku, and Nami and her son, Kyo. It was a dangerous balancing act though. As much as they got along with her, they couldn't show much, if any, voluntary support of her in front of the main pack. She mused that it might risk their place in the pack if they sympathized with her too much. Kouga might be the only one that could get away with it without inciting a huge fight.

  
  


Now, Kouga....he was a confusing story all on his own. She stayed in his room since the first night. Twice now, he had taken care of her when he could've just left her to the fates. She could even use his personal hot spring and could come and go when she pleased for the most part. Several times had he allowed her to share his bed despite making a show of how much he wasn't a sharer at the start. In fact, she had been sharing the bed with him since she recovered from her own bout of dysentery. No words had been said to grant permission and she didn't inquire about it either as sleeping on the unforgiving rock floor was horrible to say the least. Sharing the bed nightly had just sort of happened. Of course, they slept on far sides of the bed so she took that as his own silent way of showing his disgust of her kind but it somehow took a backseat to his desire to get the most out of her that he could. Still, it seemed like there was a bond of some kind developing between them....though, gods help her if she could understand it or figure him out. Since her recovery, he hadn't spoken with her much aside from a few scant directions and he seemed to be back to his stoic self. She kind of missed their bickering back and forth even if most of it was at her expense. Oh, well, she would enjoy the relative ease of things for now.

  
  


While picking some much needed herbs in the surrounding forests, she began to wonder how her mother and village were doing. Had they rebuilt? Did somebody take care of her mother that night and make sure she recovered? Was she worried? Kagome had not even had a chance to see her as she had returned to the village in the midst of a youkai attack. All the girl knew was that her mother had been there and was hurt during the course of the battle....but she had no idea how her mother fared afterward. She wondered if Kouga would permit her to travel back to her village. They had come to a reasonable understanding of late. Maybe there was a chance...he _did_ say that she needed permission to leave on a trip over a day long or to travel to a place outside of eastern tribe territory.

  
  


On that first night after the deal was struck, it had taken them hours not days to get back to the den. The travel would be even faster traveling with Hayate's fast paws. The only sticking point was that Kagome would want to visit for at least a few days as opposed to mere hours before having to start back in order to return by sunset. She wanted so much to tell her mother everything that had been going on, to feel her embrace, to hear her voice and taste her cooking....but more than anything; she wanted to assure her mother that she was alright and she was ensuring the village's safety. She wondered what kind of expression would her mother wear on her face once she heard of this crazy deal her daughter had made with the leader of the eastern wolf demon tribe? Kagome couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. She would bet that her mother would give her an earful to say the least. Maybe some arrangement could be made so that she could see her mother from time to time?

  
  


* * *

  
  


**KER-SPLASH!** Was the only warning she got as her daydream bubble popped violently and all of a sudden they were in the main dining cave careening towards a large group of sitting men!

  
  


Hayate screeched to a stop on his paws sending Kagome flying into one of the men in the center of the group!

  
  


When Kagome opened her eyes, she was lying face down on a metal chest plate adorned with midnight black fur, held tightly against a large masculine chest by powerful arms.

  
  


“Well,” a deep masculine voiced sounded right above her head, “maybe I should visit here more often if I'm going to get beautiful women thrown at me,” he sat up careful not to jostle her too much in his lap. “Are you alright, little flower?” he asked with an amused chuckle.

  
  


Kagome sat back a bit on her legs, curious about who was holding her. This man was physically large and had clearly seen a lot of battle with a slightly crooked nose, scars littered all over light brown skin, a big one split his eyebrow and cut down halfway his cheek. He had an unusual hairstyle with long messy spikes of brunette hair flowing to one side only on the top of his head while everywhere else was shaved very short. Piercing emerald eyes regarded her underneath heavy eyebrows. There was...something about him that made her shiver and feel somewhat queasy.

  
  


“Um, I'm fine...” she finally mumbled dazed before her brain caught up, “ Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize that company had come to visit,” she made to get up but he held her fast.

  
  


“What's the rush, little one? Stay awhile....” he held her close, burying his nose in her long raven hair and stroking a hand down to her backside.

  
  


**gasp!** “Eeeeep!” she squeaked in embarrassment as she scrambled out of his suddenly breaking embrace, arms falling harmlessly to the side as he laughed loudly watching her hide behind Kouga.

  
  


The eastern alpha, who had been staring in dumb shock for the past several moments, finally woke up and turned to find the priestess with flaming cheeks curled into a trembling ball behind his back. Her endless field of fresh, sweet flowers scent had turned bitter with a back note of dampness. Embarrassment was rolling off of her in waves but there was something else too....fear? She was feeling scared of this guy? He had never smelt this on her before. After all of the time he had spent around her; fear had never entered into things. There had been a time or two that he had legitimately wondered if she ever felt fear. Even back when he had....hurt her...that one time.....she hadn't acted afraid of him. If anything; she was pissed.

  
  


His internal beast began to snarl dangerously in their shared mind-space while Kouga clenched his jaw in an attempt to keep his cool. This was an important meeting and there were many wolves around....he couldn't afford to let them think he showed her any favor. Around him, his own pack snickered at the situation; even Ginta and Hakkaku. After a few seconds, they failed to contain their mirth and exploded in raucous guffaws. The rest of the men around the large male that Kagome had crashed into all joined in as well. Apparently, everybody in this meeting found this wildly entertaining save for Kouga and the girl that wished she could disappear as she hid even more of herself behind the alpha.

  
  


“Enough of this!” **whistle!** Hayate padded forward upon Kouga's summons, ears flattened against a lowered head and tail. He seemed to know that he had screwed up.

  
  


“Girl, get back to your post!” Kouga bit out in a severe whisper at her to ensure she heard and to simply get her out of here.

  
  


A human girl being in the dining cave during a meeting like this one was a risky place for her to be. There were private wolf demon matters being discussed here and Kouga didn't need to worry about her safety in addition to everything else.

  
  


His order had the desired effect as both girl and alpha wolf exited the room posthaste!

  
  


“Awww, that wasn't necessary, my friend! She could've stayed! In fact, I would have preferred her to stay,” the large man jovially objected.

  
  


“She has chores to do, Takeshi, now, can we get back to -” Kouga began.

  
  


“Oh? Well, that's too bad,” the man now known as Takeshi cupped his chin as he stole a glance at the entrance to the tunnels where the girl and wolf exited.

  
  


“Where did you find a beauty like her?” he turned back to meet Kouga's disgruntled gaze.

  
  


Kouga's inner beast's snarling only grew in intensity at this line of questioning but Kouga kept him in check.

  
  


“She's just a human slave. How can you call _that_ 'beautiful'?” he posed in disgust.

  
  


“Meh, demon...human...beauty is beauty. I would bed her any day and night. You're lucky to have her,” the large male nodded in agreement to himself.

  
  


'Even when the human isn't here, she causes trouble....' Kouga mentally groaned while pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

  
  


His beast's hackles were rising now.

'Easy, there's no need to get so worked up over a damn human girl. There are more important matters at hand here!' His beast was getting strangely difficult.

Was all of this really over the girl?

  
  


“Say, any chance you would consider selling or trading for her?” Takeshi leaned forward with interest.

  
  


Suddenly, a rash of possessiveness surged through the alpha's body. She may be just a human but she was _his_ property to make use of until she perished. That was their deal. He hadn't felt like this since another cub back in his youth had tried to take his practice sword for their own. ' _Tried_ ' being the operative word. The 'sword' was really a long sharp stick used during training and Kouga had fashioned it himself. Young Kouga saw the boy taking his sword and beat him down thoroughly for laying their hands on what was his.

  
  


“She's not for sale,” Kouga managed to ground out while desperately tempering his building rage and simultaneously holding his snapping beast back, “now do you want my help or not?”

  
  


“Yes, yes, I suppose we should get back on track,” Takeshi shrugged his shoulders with a sigh, completely oblivious to all of the drama unfolding inside the man sitting across from him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kagome couldn't leave that room fast enough. Who in the Gods' names was that?! And who did he think he was to be touching her like that!? Fear had frozen into embarrassment of the highest order and then melted into flames of indignation. She had been around flirtatious men before but none of them had ever been this forward! Such nerve! Scarlet still colored her cheeks as she stomped into the recovery cave, only too happy to 'return to her post' as his royal ass-ness put it.

  
  


Funny thing was that she had company in the cave.....lots of company in the form of children and women. What was going on? Were they shooed out of the room so that the men could talk? The thought fueled her burning blood as she firmly believed in equality amongst the sexes. Feminist views were widely unpopular across the land but she remained determined in her beliefs. She made her way to her desk, careful to grant wide berth to the various groups in hopes of avoiding confrontation.

  
  


“He felt you up, didn't he?” an amused feminine voice chuckled.

  
  


Kagome turned to find both Nami and Kyo walking over and sitting next to her desk.

  
  


“He does that with pretty much all of the females,” she further explained wryly, “everyone hates him.”

  
  


So, he's a womanizer....fantastic.

  
  


“Who was that jerk?” Kagome set down her satchel full of today's gatherings.

  
  


“Takeshi; alpha of the western pack. They seem to be having some kind of dispute with the neighboring wildcat demon tribe. The others sitting with him are some of his warriors,” Nami leaned in to share in confidence, “word in the den is that they may be going to war soon and have come to appeal to the east for soldiers.”

  
  


“What? Another war? But, we just got finished with a battle....”Kagome whispered back worriedly.

If she was to count on recent history; should the eastern pack decides to help the west, then she will be party to another battle. The thought was truly distressing. What if she didn't come back from this one? The last one had been terrifying enough and she had just recovered not only from being scratched by sharp talons but from being sick.

  
  


“Hey, I think you're being watched....” Nami added softly as she minutely gestured over Kagome's shoulder.

  
  


The priestess turned to find a small group of young kids eyeing her curiously. Upon making eye contact, two of them hurriedly returned their gaze elsewhere while the third, Kyo as it turns out, smiled and waved a little at the girl and Nami. Kagome smiled and returned his wave as his mother also smiled with a nod. The other two looked to be similar to age in Kyo...maybe 7 or 8 years old? But, Kagome had learned by now that demons age at a different rate than humans so they could be much older for all she knew. She recognized the other two as being the kids from the other day that didn't seem to have a parent or guardian. It was something she made note about while she hurried about making compresses or sanitizing the cave. She kept waiting for somebody, some kind of family or friends, to appear for them but they seemed to only have each other. It was the girl that had taken ill with dysentery and the other one must be her brother. They looked to be identical twins. Each had midnight blue hair. His hair was a short natural hairstyle, parted off center and the girl's was longer, tied in a braid with bangs. Both had lavender irises and were very quiet during the whole outbreak episode. Kagome remembered how closely the brother watched her with an unreadable expression. Even when she spoke to him to tell him what was happening or to offer some words of comfort, he merely blinked at her, seemingly unsure of whether to speak to her. His expression softened when he looked down at his suffering sister so Kagome could infer that he was probably worried about the girl's health. To help ease his worry, even in a small way, Kagome walked him through how to care for his sister. The boy never acknowledged understanding anything she said but she saw as the day went on that he learned well what to do. She remembered smiling at that observation.

  
  


“I remember them. The girl was sick with dysentery and her brother never left her side until she could leave the recovery wing. I never saw any parents or family come to their side,” Kagome turned, eyes saddened, back to speak softly with Nami.

  
  


“Yeah,” Nami's expression fell a bit, “ that's because their parents are already dead. The mother died shortly after their birth from complications and their father....well, he was lost in the struggle against the birds-of-paradise right before you got here. It's not uncommon to have orphans since packs will war against each other or other youkai tribes and then there's disease, fatal injury and getting vaporized by a holy user. In general, they are protected and provided for by the pack and they seem to have a friend or two, but that's about it.”

  
  


“I don't understand....couldn't somebody in the pack adopt them?” Kagome turned to look at them again, her heart already aching for them.

  
  


“I imagine it's a combination of things....like the fact that the father was killed very recently, the pack was dealing with a lot of attacks from the birds-of-paradise and so arranging a surrogate was low priority, people were getting injured or killed left and right....I also hear that the twins wanted to stay alone,” the she-wolf whispered further.

  
  


“They want to stay alone?” Kagome repeated with genuine concern and confusion.

  
  


'They have been through a lot already...' she thought somberly.

  
  


“Like I said; they are provided for within the pack in terms of protection and food. They won't starve or anything and they seem to prefer to keep to themselves. Death is common in wolf demon packs, Kagome. It may look different than what you are used to but they aren't helpless. Don't let their small stature fool you. They _are_ wolf youkai cubs after all,” Nami finished.

  
  


Kagome heard everything Nami had said but that didn't mean she had to agree with it. Death is a fact of life; there's simply no getting around that. But....everybody should have somebody in their corner...no matter how strong or independent they are.

  
  


“GIRL!” a deep authoritative bellow ripped through the tunnels.

  
  


Kagome heaved a sigh, “I'll see you later maybe,” she rose with a farewell wave.

  
  


Nami smiled encouragingly in return. Her leader sounded like he was in one of his moods again. The she-wolf had known Kouga for quite some time and he had a pretty bad temper. She suspected that the girl could hold her own just fine with him though. She sensed that the girl may be just as stubborn and hard headed as he is. There was a...certain fire about the girl that Nami didn't know how to explain that assured her of this. Once more, she glanced at Kyo sitting with his twin friends. All three pairs of young eyes followed the human girl hurrying out of the room.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Hayate trotted purposefully ahead of Kagome, effectively leading her back to Kouga's room. Kagome appreciated the gesture as she was still getting down the layout of the tunnels in the den. Though, she had gotten lost once or twice in the last few days, it was still preferable to getting lost pretty much everyday. She wondered if the visitors had left and, more importantly, whether they were going off to battle once again. Wildcat demons.....she had heard some nasty things about that clan in her travels before coming to these caves. There had been rumors that they take delight in kidnapping humans for the sport of hunting or for torture. One of their talents that made them so dangerous was their stealthiness and agility and she even heard a particularly scary rumor that some of them wielded the elements as weapons. Terrifying.

  
  


* * *

  
  


She walked through the heavy oak door to Kouga's room to find the alpha sitting on the grand bed with a large scroll unrolled on the sheets. Upon walking closer, she could see it was a large map. She could recognize the eastern territory shown on it....and what was the birds-of-paradise area....what else was there? She began to study and read the various labels. Who drafted this map? It was so detailed and like a piece of art. Huh, she had never seen Kouga read anything before....

  
  


Kouga sat there across from her, trying to figure out what she was doing. Was she reading the map? Could the girl _read_?

Kagome looked up curiously at the same time he did.

  
  


“You read?/ You can read?” they questioned simultaneously before falling silent.

  
  


“Of course I can read!/ Only when I have to,” both scrunched up their noses in annoyance. (This speaking at the same time thing was getting old already)

  
  


“After all of this time and everything I have done, you still think I'm just a stupid human?” the girl glared while planting fists on her hips angrily, “ and I can write too for your information,” she added with a bite of resentment.

  
  


Kouga shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. In his experience; humans were stupid and ignorant. He couldn't help the lack of intelligence on their part. The girl had managed to surprise him yet again.

  
  


“And I suppose that I should just completely ignore you insinuating that I or demon kind in general are illiterate idiots, then?” he retorted back with that irritating smirk. He had a point and he knew it.

  
  


“ I was raised an alpha's son, so, yes, I was heavily educated,” he rose and went to his trunk on the other side of the room, “ everyone here has had at least some education just 'for your information'", he shot back using her own choice of words, "Idiots make for terrible soldiers.”

  
  


“We're leaving tomorrow with the western pack to help them defeat the wildcat tribe and, yes, you're going too. Your role will be similar to the birds-of-paradise battle. You will travel with me until we get to the battlefield. Once there, you will set up a medical station behind everybody and _stay out of the fighting,_ ” he made sure to emphasize that part of the instructions as he couldn't have her scrambling about the battlefield, “ Your arrows won't do much good against the cats. They're a helluva lot faster and harder to hit than giant birds,” he continued rummaging around the trunk as he spoke.

  
  


'Oh, no...another war.....' Kagome thought despondently. She had gotten lucky in the last battle to escape with only some scratches on her back, despite some of them being deep. This time seemed bigger and much more dangerous if it demanded two wolf packs coming together to fight this wildcat tribe. What if her luck ran out in this battle? Being surrounded by demons both lupine and feline; she wouldn't have enough holy power to take them _all_ on....and if she ran, then all of her sacrifice in working as a slave would be all for naught...Her village would be smashed, her mother and fellow villagers would be killed....not to mention she would most likely be killed too....She sank onto the bed, heart and mind heavy of the possible implications that this new battle could bring.

  
  


“....since that dress fits you, then this armor and furs should work but if they don't, then you'll have to make do and try not to get yourself killed. It'll be a pain in the ass to replace you,” he finally found what he was after and set it on the bed before noticing a shift in her scent and her far off haunted expression.

  
  


'….a pain in the ass to replace you...' echoed throughout her mind.

  
  


' a pain in the ass....' but...she had thought that she mattered to him....even if it was in a small way....

  
  


'.....to replace you'...was that truly all she was to him?

  
  


Just something to use like a tool until she wore out or broke? Maybe she had read far too much into that discussion back on that day they sat on the balcony together working out an understanding. Or had just given him too much credit. Even worse; she had let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, they were getting along better and might be building some sort of relationship. Shakey as it may be. He didn't care about _her_ per se. It really was all about using her skills. Just a means to an end. The realization left her cold. What a fool she had been....

  
  


A storm settled over the endless field of flowers, blocking the warm sun, winds picking up in strength as rain began to pour down. He had learned that damp smell eclipsing the flowers was a bad sign. What was wrong with the girl now?

  
  


“Oi, what's the problem?” he asked carefully. He hated that he had to take any degree of care regarding her feelings. Why couldn't she just take orders and be done with it? Things would be so much simpler...but he needed to at least fake concern if he wanted her cooperation. Getting the most use out of her was shaping up to be a long, irritating game.

  
  


“I wonder....can you actually replace me?,” she spoke softly into the fire burning into the hearth, “far as I can tell; none of you are trained in healing. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made a deal with a lowly human to help.”

  
  


Kouga began to feel uneasy. He didn't like where this conversation was going....His beast stood at attention in their share mind-space, on guard and waiting to see what happened next. The girl had a point that nobody else in the den was trained in the healing arts. She was also right in that they wouldn't have a deal in place if there was anybody else.....still, where was she going with this? Kouga's mind was working overtime to make sense of it all.

  
  


She turned to face him then with a steely, determined gaze, “no matter what you think of me or humans in general; _I_ have value. My _life_ has value. I'm _not_ just some tool for you to use until you grow tired of me or when I die. _Every_ life has a purpose. A _meaning_. A _place_ in this world. You wanted to know earlier why I push myself so far for others even if they wouldn't do the same for me? Aside from threat of death, it's because helping people is my purpose in this world.”

  
  


Why did he get the nagging suspicion that this was about more than this immediate conversation? His eyes lowered to see the bruises on her throat were almost completely faded now. Was this also about him hurting her the other day? He had hoped that that had been put to bed. He had even apologized that day which was something he rarely if ever did for another person! What else did she want from him? Damn, that guilt was beginning to twist his gut again. Fuck.

  
  


She rose to her feet then with a peaceful smile, “you are right about one thing though. It _will_ be a pain to replace me. There's only one of me in this world. Once I die; you won't be able to find a complete duplicate to pick up where I left off. So, good luck with that. That'll be your problem, not mine,” she made now to head to the door to exit, passing by him.

  
  


Kouga was stunned into silence by her speech. Never had a human, or anybody for that matter, spoken to him like this. The girl had a spine. Much more than even most of his pack mates. Why should he be surprised when this girl is the same one that faced his beast without so much as flinching on that first night they met? Her scent was shifting back to that infinite flower field but there was a certain heavy cloudiness to what should be a perfect day in spring. He felt strangely helpless in this moment, like his back was against the wall, with guilt continuing to course through him. So he resorted to what he knew best: anger.

  
  


“Hey! I'm not done talking to you, human!,” he suddenly appeared in front her, blocking her exit, “I said I was sorry for hurting you, didn't I? I got this armor out because I don't want you to die! I planned this attack to keep you at the back and I'm assigning a couple of guards to protect you and the wounded. If we're going to win this war, then, your skills are essential!” his temper flared with a raised voice.

  
  


“..and...I was going to tell you to stay close to me until we get there since Takeshi seems to be interested in you. You can..hide behind me if you want....,” his tone began to soften as he uncomfortably scratched the back of his head, anger cooling.

  
  


“And, yes, it would be a pain in the ass to replace you. My last healer wasn't as....skilled...as you are and....nobody here can do what you do,” he added softer still and directing his gaze to the suddenly interesting floor.

  
  


It was now Kagome's turn to be stunned into silence. Did his royal ass-ness just compliment her? Even more surprising; did he just admit that he didn't want her to die? He was offering to shield her from Takeshi's wandering hands? And he planned this battle keeping her safety in mind? It was a lot to take in from somebody that had been telling her for weeks how little her life meant to him, or how inferior she was to demons, what a pain she was, that never expressed any gratitude or recognition for what she had done for the pack.....

  
  


Kouga warily looked up from the floor; feeling awkward yet curious to see what she would say now. He only barely registered glistening forest eyes before he was tackled back into the door with an **oomph!** The alpha stiffened, arms raised doing his best impression of a tree as he looked down at the upset human girl now sobbing into his chest . What was he supposed to do now? His inner beast looked on just as shocked and clueless as to what to do next. Great help he was...The girl was gripping onto him pretty hard as the tears flowed. Every sob felt like a punch in the gut. He hesitantly allowed his arms to envelope her in an awkward embrace. That must have been the right move as he scented the clouds over the field of flowers beginning to part and sunshine returning. As had become expected, that endless field of flowers enveloped his senses into a strange, unusual calm. His gut began to settle as his breathing deepened. He was so enveloped in that relaxing aroma that he failed to notice when she stopped crying and moved to step out of his arms. Without his permission, his arms tightened a bit around her small frame.

  
  


“Ummm, Kouga, you can let go now,” Kagome pushed lightly against him.

  
  


The bubble popped and Kouga rejoined the present, letting her exit from his arms. He somehow felt....lighter....better. He regarded her with an uncomfortable, lost expression.

  
  


“What? Have you never hugged anybody before?” the priestess mumbled with puffy eyes and cheeks rosy from upset.

  
  


“Um, not unless we were going to have sex,” he confessed awkwardly.

  
  


“Not even by your mother?” she queried, her interest piqued.

  
  


The awkwardness on the alpha's face suddenly turned hard, sharp and she swore that she could see pain flash quickly inside those sky blue irises before he tore them away.

  
  


“Drop it, human,” he growled lowly.

  
  


Kagome had not meant to upset him but it was painfully clear that his mother was a sore subject. The healer part of her wanted to press for more about his family because he had never mentioned them before. She wanted to listen, to help, but he shut down so quickly that she knew that now was not the time to inquire. It seemed so painful for him that there may never be a 'good time' to ask.

“I'm sorry; it's none of my business. I will take my leave now and return tonight,” she made once again to leave the room.

Kouga stiffly stepped to the side and allowed both girl and wolf to enter the tunnels. After a few beats, he turned and punched as hard as he could into the mountain wall. Dammit...the memories were rising up in his mind again. He had to shut this shit down and right fucking now. There was a pack to lead and a large battle to fight tomorrow! He didn't have time for this! As the pain somersaulted in his mind and darkness began to swirl into a horrible storm in his chest, a glimmer of light floated up to the surface. The boundless field of flowers....warm sunshine...a day in spring in its utmost perfection...even his beast was lying in this field surrounded by all of the flowers. A giant fearsome entity with raging power seemed wholly out of place in this idyllic setting and yet Kouga didn't question it. Instead, he breathed deeply as his beast did and the pain began to ebb. The darkness began to dissipate, allowing his rapid heart to slow and ease of breathing to slowly return. After several more minutes, he straightened up again and felt re-centered. What the heck was that? Neither alpha nor beast understood but in the end, what did it matter? There was a battle to prepare for and arrangements to make. The western pack was staying here at the eastern den tonight and required accommodations. With that, he made for the main dining cave to set up everything.

  
  


* * *

  
  


This day had certainly been a day of revelations for Kagome. She sort of 'met' another wolf demon pack, became party to another war and got a glimpse into something behind that stoic mask that Kouga always wore. Earlier today, she merely thought him as 'confusing' but he was shaping up to be more 'complicated' than anything. When it came down to it, she knew next to nothing about the demon. She wondered if she would ever get to see more behind that mask. She genuinely felt awful after that faux pas about his mother. She felt compelled to make it up to him somehow but hadn't a clue what she could do aside from following whatever orders he had. Well, she could maybe tamper down the sass/defiance she often had for him at least. As bad as she felt for stepping in it, she also felt significantly better after they hashed it out back in his room. The fact that her life had actual meaning to him was so refreshing, so appreciated! Hugging him like she did had not been planned but it helped her feel so much better! And...even if he may never admit it, she was sure that he needed that hug as much as she did. She wondered if he also felt like they turned a corner for the better in their relationship. At this point, she was unsure if he even had the emotional understanding to make that conclusion but she would take it just the same.

  
  


Upon entering the recovery wing, she elected to set her thoughts about Kouga to the side for now and commence her own preparations for the coming battle. Thank goodness that she went on an herb run today as she would be needing just about everything in her stores! By the time she was done packing, her satchel and sack were full to bursting. She quickly made another sack out of an unused fur to help carry the remaining stock. There would be so many more men this time. She could see herself getting easily overwhelmed if she wasn't careful. Once again, anxiety crept into her consciousness. Even with the extra protection that Kouga ordered for her and her medical space, she wondered what the odds were that she survives this skirmish....As she got lost in her grim musings, a jar of her trusty herbal ointment dropped off of her 'desk' with a **klink!** and rolled away across the stone floor. Hayate watched it roll from his spot lying on his side until it was intercepted by a small clawed hand. Kagome looked up from her wonderings into a young girl's face with pale lavender eyes and midnight blue hair tied back in a braid.

  
  


'The little girl that was sick earlier...' Kagome recalled with surprise.

  
  


And there, several steps behind but still close by, was her twin brother. He looked wary while the girl appeared curious. Neither said a word as they silently sized up the priestess. Both wore the brown fur kilts and the standard fur shin guards that the whole tribe seemed to wear and the girl wore a sleeveless fur shirt with an animal hide 'undershirt' of sorts while the boy wore a fur vest similar to what Kyo wore. Each had a fur wristband; hers on the left, his on the right.

  
  


After what seemed a long while; the girl walked forward with the jar and handed it to Kagome.

  
  


“Thank you,” Kagome smiled softly, “have you both been well?” she looked from the girl to the boy that was coming closer to his sister.

  
  


She looked at the girl again expectantly and the girl nodded.

  
  


“That's good to hear! You were pretty sick recently. Your brother worked hard to help you recover,” she smiled directly at the boy who looked away immediately from her gaze.

  
  


'I wonder if maybe he's just shy?' Kagome mused, 'or maybe they're both shy. Neither is expressing much and haven't said a word.'

  
  


She didn't push as both kids seemed to be nervous. She smiled and returned to continuing her preparations as both kids continued to stand and seemingly watch. As far as Kagome was concerned, they could watch all they like. They would probably get bored soon and find something more interesting to do as children often do. Yet, the kids remained until she finished with her work that day. After a few minutes of standing and watching, they moved to sit and watch, quiet as ever. Kagome took to telling them what goes where, what this herb was and what they do to fill the silence. Both kids seemed to be paying attention but their faces betrayed nothing in terms of feelings or thoughts.

  
  


It wasn't until dinnertime that the kids made to move. At the same time, Kagome finished her battle preparations as best she could and made to exit the recovery wing. As she walked to exit, Hayate leading the way, the kids followed behind her. At the entrance, Kagome turned and was surprised to find them there following her every step.

  
  


“Sorry, but this is where I leave you,” Kagome smiled apologetically, “I need to go hunt my dinner and I think yours may be ready in the dining cave. It was nice spending time with you both. Take care, okay?” she waved in farewell.

  
  


The kids regarded her a moment longer before running off in the direction of the dining cave. To go eat dinner; she supposed.

  
  


'Huh, that was....strange,' Kagome turned to walk the other direction to go hunt for something to cook for dinner.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The western pack and eastern soldiers ate heartily of the healthy stores of birds-of-paradise meat in the main dining cave as a way of blowing off steam before the big battle and for camaraderie. As they drank, both Kouga and Takeshi went over the war plans for the soldiers. The plan was to attack the wildcat clan as a solid united front followed by waves of warriors. The alphas and strongest warriors would head up the front with pure power in their beast forms, followed by the next couple of lines in beast form, followed by a final line of humanoid wolf demons with weapons. Some additional wolf demons would disperse in small groups amongst the surrounding trees and grasses for assassination type objectives. The whole reason of the attack was to make a point to the wildcat tribe that the wolf demon tribes were not to be taken lightly and to force a surrender. Both tribes had been quarreling about trade pricing for moons now and the debate had come to a head where threats were being traded instead of goods. The wildcats had somehow obtained some elemental abilities among some of their top ranking cats and had grown cocky in their assumed power being superior to the wolves'. This, of course, could not and would not stand! With everything having been gone over, the western warriors tucked in early for the night and the eastern did the same.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kouga naturally returned to his own chambers for the night. It wasn't until he opened the door and saw Kagome fast asleep in the bed that he remembered their spat from earlier today and impromptu embrace. He was thankful that she was asleep already so he didn't have to deal with any more awkwardness and could just slide into bed. All thoughts of the girl were pushed out of his mind as he turned to face away from her and sleep.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The dawn of the next day came all too soon. The sun's rays yawned over the mountains and valleys as birds began to chirp and critters began to stir. A gentle summer breeze weaved through the leaves and grasses. Only a few small cloudy puffs dotted the colorful pastel sunrise spilling into an otherwise clear sky. A beautiful summer morning certain to turn into a warm wonderful sunny day. The residents in the eastern den below were far too busy to notice such splendor unfolding. Warriors were suiting up, doing last minute prep and getting a meal in before everyone was to leave.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Back in Kouga's room, the alpha shook the sleeping human awake. When that didn't work, he ordered Hayate to jump on her with a meaningful jerk of his chin.

  
  


**Oomph! Hack! Cough – cough!** The priestess wriggled in protest underneath the unexpected furry, _heavy,_ wake up call before glaring at his royal ass-ness.

  
  


“Hey, I gave you a fair chance to wake up but even in your sleep, all you do is defy me,” Kouga couldn't help but chuckle at the situation and Kagome's grumpy 'I hate you' expression.

  
  


“Get up, get dressed and grab your stuff, girl. We're moving out in 10 minutes,” he informed her as he strapped on his chestplate.

  
  


The prompt leaving time successfully burst any post sleep stupor as Kagome's eyes widened in alarm, “Wha-? Not even enough time for a bath!?,” she whined in horror.

  
  


“If you wanted a bath before we left, then you should've woken up earlier. It's not complicated; just takes planning,” Kouga responded slowly and enunciated every word as if speaking to a child, “now, hurry up!” he mildly bit at her.

  
  


Kagome ripped the covers off her, grabbed the new armor she was to wear and dressed in the hot spring tunnel in a bid for privacy. She actually hadn't looked at the new outfit Kouga found in the trunk yesterday until now. It consisted of a brown fur kilt, big surprise there, the fur shin guards everybody wore....and then there there was a full torso metal chestplate fashioned for a woman's body, complete with brown furry shoulder pads. Finishing off the outfit was a brown fur cape that hit mid-back and tied in the front with a clasp made of bear teeth. Time was of the essence so she pulled everything on quickly and added her animal hide 'underwear' as well as her fur boots to the ensemble because no way was she going barefoot into a battlefield nor was she looking to give the men a show! She returned from changing and placed her folded fur dress on the bed as she didn't know where else to put it. Then, she hurried over to his dresser mirror to see how she looked and to do something with her hair. Inwardly, she whimpered in embarrassment at seeing herself in such a scandalous outfit. She was showing a lot more leg now since the kilt was so short (thank the gods for the underwear) but at least her chest was a bit more covered in this outfit. Even so.... the local prostitutes would probably faint looking at this outfit....Oh, well, there wasn't any more time to feel mortified. She pulled a hair tie from her wrist and made a quick braid of her long charcoal hair. After one more check in the mirror, she turned and met Kouga's gaze.

  
  


Even he had to admit that she looked very much a wolf demoness in this outfit. One had to look for the round ears and eye shape in order to tell she was human. Even her scent didn't smell very human-y anymore. Maybe it was because she had been in the den for over a moon by now? The field of flowers was still there and so were the scents of the herbs she worked with as well as traces of himself and Hayate. Interesting what has changed in such a short amount of time. He wondered for a moment if he left enough protection for her and the medical space. She may be somewhat intelligent but human bodies were fragile. This reality had been made abundantly clear with her injuries and being sick recently. He shook his head then. It was too late for second guessing or re-planning. Maybe she could use some of that brain power to avoid getting hurt too bad. In the meantime, he was going to be on the front line and he needed a clear mind in order to crush those cats.

  
  


“Come on, then,” he went to open the oak door.

  
  


“Wait,” Kagome suddenly spoke up and Kouga turned to look over his shoulder at her, “take care out there,” she looked up at him with concern.

  
  


'She's worried about me?' Kouga mentally stammered.

  
  


He had never had anybody genuinely worry about him before. He was, and always has been, expected to have it together; a paragon of strength standing alone above the rest. Needing outside support in any way was a sign of weakness. A beat passed before he mentally kicked himself to get his head on straight.

  
  


He couldn't afford to allow himself to be distracted. Not when the packs were on the cusp of battle against a wily opponent.

  
  


“Humph, save your concern for yourself, human. You'll need it more than I will. Now, let's go!” he grouched as he turned and stalked out the door.

  
  


Kagome smiled to herself and took his dismissal in stride. She had been thinking since yesterday that maybe he was simply immature when it came to emotions or any kind of vulnerability. That she shouldn't expect or hope for much. That didn't mean that she couldn't be kind towards others herself though. Maybe this would the key to finding ways to smile from the bottom of her heart like she promised herself that she would do in the beginning.

  
  


* * *

The priestess followed closely behind the alpha along with Hayate silently throughout the rocky tunnels until they reached the dining cave. The room was a flurry of activity, chatter and good-natured scuffling with impatience about leaving. Kagome followed Kouga's advice in sticking close to him. She did not wish to encounter Takeshi again if she could help it. She whined to herself as Hayate jumped with her through the supremely cold waterfall entrance. Gods, that was freezing! Once she shook off what loose water that she could, she looked around the nearby hills and forest to see many groups of men! Everywhere she looked, there were more and more men. All of them wore similar chestplates, kilts and shin guards gilded with the same midnight black fur that Takeshi and gang wore inside the den.

  
  


'These men must be the western pack army...' Kagome mused as Hayate slowly trotted alongside his master.

  
  


There were at least 120 or more warriors here along with animal wolves. She could see piles of ashes and burnt wood here and there indicating they had probably been camping out here while Takeshi spoke with Kouga inside.

  
  


'Of course, they're his army! Why else would they be here? Was Takeshi really going to fight a war against another tribe with a mere handful of men?' Kagome scoffed at herself.

  
  


In general, the men were milling about, knocking fists together, eating a quick snack or finishing off a bottle of saké. Some had weapons with them such as lances, bows and there were even some swordsmen. They didn't seem to notice her and she was thankful for that. There was somebody that she was looking for in specific among the crowd but failed to locate: their pack healer. Was this a wolf youkai thing to not have somebody handling the healing? Was she really all that there would be for medical support in this war? Immediately, she knew her supplies would most likely not hold out. She would probably have to find more medicinal plants while the battle was going on. How in the Gods' names was she going to pull _that_ off?

  
  


'Maybe these cats will bow down very quickly and this battle will end in one day!' Kagome thought to herself optimistically before shaking her head in negation. The chances of _that_ happening were probably astronomical at best.

  
  


“Kouga! Good to see that you're ready to go!” Takeshi suddenly appeared while punching Kouga's shoulder in a friendly manner, “Oh? And you brought the little one!” his gaze happily landed on Kagome as she sat on Hayate's back, “You ride wolf-back?” his eyes widened in genuine surprise.

  
  


This was something the western alpha had never seen before. Even more impressive was the fact that he knew this was Kouga's top wolf. How did a little thing like her tame a giant wolf that was very well known for his aggression and taciturn disposition? He cupped his chin in wonder as he bent over a bit to peer closer at her. She turned away from him and he noticed her small body shivering.

  
  


“Heh! Interesting,” he smiled with a chuckle and then proceeded to untie a long black fur cape that sat around his shoulders and draped it around her.

  
  


She kept her gaze on Hayate's fuzzy shoulders as she felt the weight and welcome heat of the cape. The cape engulfed her little body as it was meant for somebody much larger. Without her permission, her hands came up and pulled the cape closer to her. Inwardly, she cursed at herself as she did _not_ want to give this Takeshi guy any encouragement.

  
  


“Thanks...” she murmured softly, chancing a glance at Takeshi's face. It felt wrong not to at least show some gratitude for an act of kindness despite her feeling genuinely uncomfortable about him.

  
  


“Keep it for as long as you need, Little Flower,” he smiled a fangy grin as he affectionately rubbed her head like one might do with a child.

  
  


Kouga watched the exchange, noticing her scent shifted again to tell of mild discomfort and tinge of fear. His beast began to growl inside their shared mind-space, especially when Takeshi touched her but Kouga himself portrayed nothing. Raising an objection right now wouldn't be smart. He and his pack were about to go to war with the western pack, which included Takeshi since he was their leader. It was strategically prudent to stay in good standing with the other packs regardless of whether he liked any of them or not....but....but, if he was being completely honest, it did bother him a bit for this guy to be acting so familiar with the girl. Scenting her discomfort and fear set his teeth on edge. Not to mention one could say that this might be a sneaky move of the western alpha to put his scent on her. It was a typical wolf youkai male thing to cover his desired female in his scent before and during the courting process as a silent message to other males to 'back off'. Maybe Takeshi's ludicrous question about buying or trading for her had more to it than mere lust? He also noticed that Kagome was seemingly trying to disappear behind him like she did the previous day.

  
  


“So, are you and your men ready to go?” Kouga spoke from next to the western alpha, drawing his attention away from the girl.

  
  


“Ah, yes, we are ready and raring! Men! Form up and fall out!” his voice rang out authoritatively before he let out a full-bodied howl of assembly.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Within moments, all men, wolves, one human girl and her brown furry steed began the trek to the western territory. Everyone moved at a brisk running pace in an effort to cut an hour or so off what would have taken 3 to 4 hours walking on foot. Far as Kouga was concerned; this was a snail's pace. The eastern alpha could've made the trip in roughly an hour and a half if he was running at top speed but Hayate wouldn't be able to keep up at that speed and thus Kagome would be left on her own with a bunch of strange wolves that may or may not harm her and worse, it would leave her alone with that bastard, Takeshi. Even if that asshole got his wish and bedded her, there was no telling that she would survive it or what would happen to her after he inadvertently got bored. He doubted Takeshi was familiar with how fragile humans are. The western pack had never historically used human slaves either just like the eastern pack hadn't...until recently, that is. Plus, there was the deal about her life servitude to him. He would not lose out on her healing abilities that seemed to only become more valuable as time went by. His gaze wandered over to the girl swaddled in the fur cape as she rode on Hayate next to him. Her scent seemed to lose the fearful edge from earlier but he could tell by her face that she was apprehensive and pensive. The agitated pace of her heart denoted anxiety. Most likely about this war. Whatever she was thinking about, she would have plenty of time to sort out her thoughts until they got to the battle ground.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was late-morning by the time the wolves arrived to their destination in the western territory. The sun was raising lazily in a now endlessly blue summer sky and a gentle warmth had settled upon the region. The western lands were comprised of small spots of forests, huge grassy plains and dotted with valleys. Several rivers ran through the land and there were numerous lakes of varying sizes. Fishing and seafood were huge in these lands since they had access to both fresh and seawater species. There was some large game to hunt during certain times of the year as many herds migrated to munch on the grasses of the endless plains to put on weight during the spring and autumn. If one traveled an additional hour or so past the western den, one would find themselves at a rocky coastline.

  
  


The plan now was to allow a few minutes to get bearings and allow for a short respite from the journey. Kouga looked around the warriors until he spotted his betas, Ginta and Hakkaku pushing through the crowd. From this moment until the battle ended, they would be babysitting the girl and the medical space.

  
  


“Come on, Kagome, we need to scope out a good spot for us,” Ginta did his best to smile despite the situation at hand.

  
  


“Eh? Are you both the guards assigned to protect me and the wounded,” the girl blinked in curiosity.

  
  


“Yeah, we are,” Hakkaku answered, “ better brace yourself. This battle could go on awhile,” he folded his arms across his chest.

  
  


“Alright, let's go find a space,” Kagome cheerily dismounted Hayate to stretch her legs and to give his back a rest, “I'm so glad it's you two that will be with me!” she began walking off with them. After several steps, she ended up having to pick up the black furry cape as it kept catching on small rocks on the ground.

  
  


“Well, it was Kouga's orders but we're glad too,” Ginta took one of her bulging bags of medicinal herbs and pastes, “ plus, I still owe you for saving my ass from the bird-of-paradise that almost carried me off.”

  
  


Hakkaku grabbed another full to bursting bag of herbs and fell into step with the group. Hayate trotted along at her side as per usual.

  
  


Kouga watched them leave as he was giving last minute instructions to his men. He saw that Kagome looked over her shoulder one more time in his direction before they fell out of sight of each other. Part of him was ecstatic that he had officially passed her off to somebody trusted, thus he didn't have to keep a sharp eye on her for the time being. Finally; he could devote his complete focus and military prowess to this battle!.....

  
  


….......So long as he ignored that small part that kept wondering how the girl would fare during this skirmish....

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kagome, the betas and Hayate eventually settled behind a grassy knoll. She had initially thought to pick a spot under tree cover but Hakkaku mentioned that the cats were very deft at using trees to their advantage with their agility. The small hill was far enough away so as not to attract attention but also rose up high enough to get a vantage point of the battlefield. A small spring babbling by would be useful for cleaning wounds and keeping people hydrated. The grasses were deep here as well, providing cover that Kagome could easily see would be paramount for shielding the wounded. The priestess felt somewhat dwarfed by the grassy haven surrounding her. Most of the grasses reached over her head by a few inches!

  
  


“So,” she began speaking towards nobody in particular, “ when is the attack commencing?”

  
  


“In a matter of minutes,” Ginta answered from atop the hill, “as soon as the formations are ready. Come on, Kagome, you're going to want to see this,” he waved her over to join him.

  
  


She jogged up through the grasses to him, “What? What am I going to want to see?”

  
  


“Did you know that we wolves have a 'beast side'?” Hakkaku jogged up to her other side.

  
  


“Are you talking about when Kouga's eyes were that creepy red and he seemed to have 2 voices? Then, yes, I'm aware,” she shifted uncomfortably on her feet at the memory.

The beast was the most mysterious piece about Kouga in her mind. It/he? seemed to be intelligent because it spoke articulately and could reason but it also seemed very....raw and primal when it came to emotions. 'Pure instinct' seemed a good way to describe him. Come to think of it; she hadn't seen the beast in awhile. At least not since he took care of her that one night after being scratched by one of the birds-of-paradise. Why was that? Not that she was looking forward to seeing him as he was terrifying and those eyes were so off-putting...

  
  


“I think you may be thinking about something else, girl,” Hakkaku chuckled, “no, I mean that we have a form with four legs, long tails and -”

  
  


“Wait,”....Kagome interrupted as her mind began to process his words, “are you telling me that all of you can shift into wolves?....You can change to look like Hayate?” the girl pointed at her furry babysitter.

  
  


“Exactly,” the beta smiled with a laugh. Ginta grinned as well.

  
  


“How can that be? I have been with you all for over a month now and not one of you has changed forms?....” Kagome looked between them, perplexed, “and....if you could shift forms, then why didn't you in the last battle with the birds-of-paradise?”

  
  


“Because our beast forms are kinda big and not suited for an assassination mission,” Ginta explained.

  
  


“'Kinda big?' As in bigger than him?” Kagome pointed to Hayate once more.

  
  


“Oh, yeah, _much_ bigger,” Ginta answered with pride and a wolfish grin.

  
  


Kagome could only respond with silence and bewilderment.

  
  


“You'll see once the battle starts,” Hakkaku assured her as they crouched in the grasses to wait.

  
  


  
  



	7. Wolves vs wildcats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> East joins west in their struggle against the wildcat demon tribe. Time for the armies to show those cats who's boss!
> 
> Kouga and the Takeshi square off with the wildcat leader while Kagome feels herself spread thin providing healing support for several hundred wolves along with loyal eastern betas, Hakkaku and Ginta, as her guardians and her furry babysitter, Hayate.
> 
> With finite supplies, seemingly endless wounded and wily opponents lurking everywhere, how will our favorite priestess manage?

~Forest and Sky~

**by Paw85**

**Ch 7 – Wolves vs wildcats**

Kagome had never seen a wildcat demon before and thus had no idea what to expect aside from rumors that may or may not be true. All of them agreed on one thing though: that wildcat demons were dangerous. Not much of a revelation as pretty much all demons were dangerous in some way. If they had gained use of the elements somehow by magically enchanted weapons of some sort, that would make things a lot harder for the wolves. As she awaited the start of the battle on the premise that she 'definitely wanted to see this' according to Hakkaku, she wondered if they had encountered wildcat demons in the past.

  
  


“Have either of you encountered these wildcats before?” Kagome looked between both Ginta and Hakkaku.

  
  


“Meh, not for awhile,” Ginta folded his arms as he searched his memory.

  
  


“We don't have much chance of coming across them since we live pretty far away,” his comrade offered, “The cats keep to themselves most of the time too. They're kind of stuck up and think themselves better than everyone. Thievery is one of their specialties because of how stealthy they can be. Assassination is another one of their 'talents' and so are traps which are often laced with poison so you definitely have to be on your guard when the cats are involved. BUT! Because they are so good at stealing; they can have some pretty good items to sell or barter with.”

  
  


'They sound like the demonic equivalent of human ninjas or thieves...' the priestess swallowed nervously. Again she wondered what kind of chance she had of walking away from this battle in one piece.

  
  


“W-Where do they live?” she shakily asked.

  
  


“Over that way....see a large compound with walls and buildings?” Ginta directed her attention across the plains.

  
  


Roughly a mile or so away, Kagome could see what looked to be a sprawling estate with a mansion in the middle, several smaller buildings surrounding it and a very strong looking wall surrounding it all. The buildings looked decidedly Japanese in architectural style.....complete with upturned tiled roofs and engawa. Hold on a moment, this looked like some of the richest noble homes she had seen in her travels! The wildcat demons live in _there_? Not in a cave or something like that?

  
  


“Are you sure that's where they live?” she exclaimed incredulously, “It looks like a noble's or shogun's estate.”

  
  


Ginta merely smiled in affirmation, “Yep,” making sure to add extra pop to the 'p'.

  
  


'Huh....Guess you learn something new everyday...' the girl mused, still not 100% sure she believed that such a nice, traditional looking mansion was in reality a demon's lair. Maybe the wildcats were skilled in carpentry? Or maybe had a taste for finer things?

  
  


“Hey, why are we fighting the wildcats anyway? You said they keep to themselves so it doesn't seem like territory invasion would be the reason for this war. The western pack didn't seem injured or anything so it seems like they aren't being attacked by this clan. Was something stolen from the pack?” the priestess turned to Ginta again.

  
  


“Oh, right, you probably wouldn't know.....” the beta blinked before seeing his comrade give him a pointed look over the girl's shoulder, “Sorry....we can't really say...wolf demon business, 'ya know?” he smiled apologetically.

  
  


“Yeah...sorry, Kagome. We would tell you otherwise,” Hakkaku shrugged his shoulders with resignation. Both boys looked visibly regretful about the situation.

  
  


“No, that's alright, don't worry about it,” the girl assured them with a smile. Maybe she would learn at some point what all of this was about.

  
  


It was then that some movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Some of the wolves were slipping quietly and easily through the grasses. It was only because of the fact that they were moving slowly did she catch quick glimpses of their forms. Somehow, they advanced through the enormous field without distributing the grasses. Even the animals managed the same feat. Kagome was entranced watching their careful movements. She couldn't recognize anybody as they were camouflaged by the tall plains.....but she could pick out Kouga's aura and thus knew exactly where he was.

It was sometime after Ginta had been dropped by the bird-of-paradise that Kouga had calmed down enough such that his aura lost it's black, oppressive feeling. She learned afterward that his natural color was more like a blue. It was a darker shade than his sky blue irises. It was often agitated which didn't surprise her since he spent so much of the time being upset about....well....just about anything....from her insubordination to the days being too hot. Now that she could see auras again, she didn't have to wonder how he was feeling as much as she used to. She confirmed that he indeed had 2 states of existence: impassive or pissed off. There were the occasional times that the blue tendrils of energy would slow down and float gently about him, rising slowly from him. Those times were when they were bickering and he got her goat once again or won an argument. She stubbornly believed that there had to _more_ to him than this. _Nobody_ was this one-dimensional and she would discover what was behind that gods-forsaken mask of stoicism he always wore.

  
  


Far as she could tell; his aura was advancing at the head of the troops. Takeshi's green aura was also prowling at the front of the line. She noticed his aura earlier today as he mussed up her hair in a rather rough head rub. It was then that she took in his full image now that he was standing, more like towering, over her as he expressed wonder with her riding wolfback on Hayate. To say he was imposing was a bit of an understatement. Kouga was a full head taller than her for sure and she felt small compared to him.....but compared to Takeshi.....she might as well be a young child. He was a head or so taller than Kouga, bulkier and wider. His clawed hand covered her whole head! Without even thinking, she shrunk behind Kouga as far as she could go without being too obvious. How his royal ass-ness had suddenly become a safe haven when he was usually a source of torture and frustration; she didn't understand. But she did feel a bit better, a bit safer, by staying closer to him. Inhaling his woodsy, fresh mountain air scent helped her maintain composure. Maybe it was because he had become familiar to her? Or maybe it was because she knew that he was so invested in getting the most use out of her as possible that he would ensure her safety?

  
  


“ **REEEEOOOOOORRRWW!”**

  
  


There, in the grassy sea, what looked like a large cat flew out the green as if punched by an unforgiving fist! As they arced on their way back to terra firma, a small red fire flare escaped from their claws and exploded in a small cloud of bright white and red light. And just like that, the battle literally exploded into being!

  
  


Kagome found herself completely awed at the sudden emergence of the largest wolves she had ever seen now breaking into a sprint towards the tasteful estate, attacking any and all cats along the way! The priestess's eyes blinked owlishly as she beheld wolves of many colors, many the size of houses and larger blazing through the field! Leading the charge was a particularly fast, ginormous, brown wolf with black tipped fur and a black stripe blazing down their spine all the way to the tip of the tail. This wolf wasn't the size of a house like some of the others....it was at least four times that! One of its paws could easily crush a hut back in her village! She gasped as she saw a very familiar blue aura flaring around this massive animal as it moved with incredible lupine grace for its size. Holy Gods above; that wolf is _actually_ Kouga! Its rampant advance was only stopped by the largest cat/panther? she had ever seen! Immediately, cat and canine squared off in a flurry of hissing and snarls.

  
  


“See? Told 'ya!” Hakkaku elbowed the girl gently in attempt to shake her out of her trance at the scene unfolding in front of her.

  
  


“They just.....!” Kagome pointed to the huge warring wolves.

  
  


“Yep,” Ginta affirmed with a toothy grin.

  
  


“And _they_ just...!” she now pointed to the cats.

  
  


“Uh-huh,” his mohawked friend answered.

  
  


“Can you...?” she pointed between both betas.

  
  


“Of course!” they replied in unison with pride.

  
  


“And _all of you_ can...?” she gaped at them.

  
  


The boys now laughed deeply at her babbling as Ginta directed her carefully back to the medical space as if she were an invalid. Kagome let him guide her as she was true shock at what she had seen. Hearing rumors about demons having a beast form was one thing....but to see it in person....she didn't know how to take this news. Ginta gently pushed on her shoulders indicating for her to take a seat when they got back into the shadow of the grassy knoll. Both boys couldn't help but chuckle at the human's reaction. It wasn't often that wolf youkai showed their true beastly nature like this. Fighting humans usually never required the additional power the beast form afforded them. Most youkai battles didn't require the wolves to shift either but this battle was a special case in that the wolves planned to overwhelm the cats with sheer power in an effort to wrap this skirmish up quickly.

  
  


“Get it together, girl,” Ginta snapped his fingers a few times to break her out of her trance, “we'll probably have people to help soon. Remember what we said about the cats using poison techniques? Make sure those supplies are ready.”

  
  


That did the trick as Kagome went about organizing various herbs and ointments for incoming injured. She also prepared a bucket of fresh water from the spring running nearby and set a clean cloth next to it for easy use.

  
  


No sooner had she done that then Hakkaku was already bringing somebody over for healing assistance. This man was somebody from the western pack. It looked like his armor was badly broken and there were angry red scratch marks all over his skin. Kagome untied Takeshi's large black fur cape and folded it off to the side for now. With the temperature climbing to what one would expect of a warm summer day, she wouldn't be needing it in the immediate future. Plus, even if it was _his_ cape and she didn't want to encourage him to get any closer to her, she didn't think it proper gratitude to allow it to get ruined by blood or other bodily fluids. She grabbed a jar of her trusty herbal ointment and the pail of fresh water with rag and set about cleaning the injured man's wounds. As expected, he winced from what expected to be very painful wounds as some of those scratches went deep. To her surprise, he didn't fight in the slightest and waited patiently for her to do her thing. Maybe he knew what she was there for? Or was the western pack more accepting of humans perhaps? Several minutes later after the priestess finished, she advised him to rest for awhile, at least until the scratches stop bleeding and start showing signs of healing with their accelerated demonic recovery. He nodded, accepting her advice and laid on the grassy floor, staring up at the sprawling crystal clear blue sky.

  
  


* * *

  
  


And so the rest of the day went and darkness settled on the battlefield. If they were humans, there would've been an unspoken rule of engagement to stop all fighting until dawn of the next day. After all, what good was it to fight in the dark if you couldn't see your opponent? Demons were another story though. Both species of demon in this fight had perfect night vision, according to Ginta. More wounded came in as the hours sped by. Kagome was so busy tending to them all that she honestly didn't realize the sun had set until Hakkaku lit a candle next her so she could see for her work. Kagome looked up at him with a tired, appreciative smile. Both he and Ginta did what they could to help treat the wounded when there wasn't a new victim to fetch. Whether Kagome needed more water or bleeding stopped with a rag; they were there. The two betas and human girl quickly discovered that they were making a pretty good team. Neither man voiced it; but the girl acted very wolfish in this act of working together towards a common goal. It was exactly how they hunted prey or did pretty much anything else of import; like a pack. Both men had seen humans act in their own self-interest so many times that they assumed that humans were just too stupid or too vain to work together. Who would've thought?

  
  


Anytime there was a lull in people to see to, Kagome organized her supplies, ate some berries and nuts to help keep her going or drink from the nearby spring. The frequency of new victims seemed to be slower now and she hoped it would stay that way. She didn't know how long this war would go on so she would sleep whenever she could underneath Takeshi's cape, which made a most splendid blanket, propped up against Hayate's furry side, until she was awakened by cries of pain or one of her guards.Despite the flow of victims slowing, there was still plenty of work to do and she merely got a few minutes sleep here or there.

  
  


There were a few times that either Hayate or one of the boys suddenly darted off in one direction over another. If there was a screech of pain following the sudden departure, Kagome knew that another assassin of the feline variety had been successfully dealt with. The healer in her truly detested wars. Hated people getting hurt even if it was the aggressor. She couldn't afford the luxury of lingering in such thoughts with various injuries to see to. Some men had fairly minor wounds and thus were ready to get back in the fray a few minutes or hours after being brought into the recovery space. Others needed a limb reset or had a badly mauled arm or leg. For these men, all she could do at this point was align the bones, muscle and ligaments as closely to normal as possible and bind them together with bandages until their demonic healing kicked in to rebuild the musculature. Once in awhile, Ginta or Hakkaku would leave for a few minutes and bring back a freshly killed boar or deer to munch on themselves or to offer to the wounded as they convalesced. Since there was only one hunting at a time, the prey they could successfully fell wasn't terribly large or substantial but it was better than nothing. Other times, when they left, they returned with more wounded.

  
  


The injured were a mix of eastern and western warriors. A few western fighters resisted Kagome's help but most of them allowed her to do what she needed to do. The eastern warriors were less cooperative; akin to how they have been with her since the start. Several threw insults her way or simply refused to give her access to their wounds. Some of them begrudgingly let her treat them without a fuss. The order by their illustrious leader to not hurt or kill her must still be in effect. It also helped to have the betas behind her that threw in a pointed look or well placed warning growl. They would certainly inform Kouga if any of the men hurt the girl and thus those men would be punished for defying a direct order.

  
  


Kagome wished she knew what the status of things were on the battlefield were.....Did Ginta and Hakkaku find every injured man? Were there any wounded men left on the battlefield in need of attention? Was either side gaining the upper hand? What of Kouga and Takeshi? She had to assume that since neither alpha had been brought back to her for healing then they must be fine. Back at the beginning of this war, she had seen how large and powerful looking that Kouga's wolf was. Since Takeshi was another alpha; she wondered if he was similar in size. Surely there wouldn't be an even bigger, nastier cat on the other side? Right? Still, she wondered and news was only coming in bits and pieces. Most of the men were in too much pain to inquire from and many of them were suffering from being punctured with the business end of a poisonous dart.

  
  


Dealing with the poisonous darts was a three step process: remove them from the body, get rid as much of the venom as possible and then apply a specific herb combination to counter the inflammation and slight paralytic effects. Taking those darts out was similar to removing a bee sting: take it out by the sharp end, not the body. Otherwise, the victim gets burdened with more poison from the dart. The fastest way to get the poison out was to suck it out, unfortunately, for Kagome. Those that acquiesced recovered a lot quicker but for those that stubbornly refused, they often got wacked upside the head by Ginta or Hakkaku until they submitted. After she got out what she could, then she would apply an herbal paste. For those that wanted to continue to be stubborn and had the movement available to them; she gave them some paste and then they applied it themselves. She was used to men being less than cooperative back in the eastern cave and thus didn't take it personally.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The night faded into the next morning as Kagome yawned from working throughout the night. The frequency of wounded ramped up during the course of the night. Ginta or Hakkaku had to keep demon fire lit in their palms so that she could see what she was doing. She made a tired mental note then that she really needed to look into either purchasing or fashioning a lantern of sorts. If wars were going to be a constant in any capacity, then she would need a way to be able to continue her work in the dark. The betas may not always be assigned to watch out for her and the wounded. If others were ordered to do the same job, they may not be so kind as to offer light when she needed it or take out enemy guards looking to pounce.

  
  


Kagome watched her dwindling supply stores worriedly. They wouldn't be holding out for much longer...She had not expected to encounter poison and paralysis on this scale....or rather on any scale. She had thought that her go-to paste may be what was needed most as that was what happened in the last battle. Stranger still was that the nature of the injuries was changing.

  
  


Somewhere around late morning, a wretched soul howling in pain was brought back to the recovery space with several burns and singed hair. It looked as if this man had gotten hit square in the chest by a fire element attack of some kind. Through clenched teeth, Kagome thought she heard the assailant was a cat bitch with short red hair, red eyes and a long tail. So.....the rumors were true....somehow, the wildcats had obtained mastery over the elements....That really didn't sound good for the wolves....

  
  


The injuries only grew stranger from there. Some of the wounded came back with a different kind of burn left by deep, biting cold and pieces of ice frozen to their armor or snow in their fur. A peculiar sight for the middle of summer. A woman with long teal hair and lavender kimono was said to have left this. Some had to be carried back as they were unconscious and in total paralysis with fur and hair sticking out everywhere. Apparently, a large, rotund man with great strength in a green haori was responsible for this and was currently squaring off with Kouga.

  
  


Was he really fighting the brute that did this? For a moment, Kagome worried for the alpha's safety. What if he came back like this? The thought worried her a moment longer before she physically shook herself out of it. Focus! If he actually got hurt, he would be brought back here to the medical space.

  
  


The most bizarre of all were the few that came back with seemingly nothing wrong with them. Instead, they seemed to be completely lost in some kind of daydream. Kagome waved her hands in front of them but they were mentally miles away. Even after Ginta gave them a strong slap across the face, the dream continued unphased. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she encountered somebody in a legitimate daze. Come to think of it...had she ever come across a symptom like this before? She knew from her years of practice that certain herbs that were extremely bitter and could revive somebody that was unconscious or stunned. Maybe that could work here? She didn't have any of this particular herb in her stores as this issue hadn't arisen thus far. She had yet to find this herb in all of her explorations of the eastern territory. Now what? She ran through various options in her mind, hoping to come up with some way to help these men. Since they were mentally checked out; they could wander off and end up in even deeper trouble. Adding another layer of complexity was the fact that they did not have enough hands to watch all of the semi-conscious men and tend to the rest of the injured at the same time.

  
  


“Kagome, what are you doing?!” Ginta came back over, anxiety high in his voice.

  
  


The girl was running her hands over the man's shoulders as if looking for something.

  
  


'Got it!,' she mentally cheered as she undid the ties and straps that held the chestplate together and lifted it off of the man still sitting in a daze as if absolutely nothing was happening.

  
  


'What the hell- ?' “Kagome! Now isn't the time to jump a male!” Ginta harshly whispered as he made to pull her away, fearing for her safety.

  
  


Kagome waved him off, “Wait, Ginta! I'm going to break him out of this spell but I need you to pull me back after I do this. He's not going to be happy,” she whispered hurriedly back.

  
  


The beta merely stared at her as if she had lost her mind and watched her nudge closer to the now topless man. She gently pushed him back on the soft grasses, kneeled at his side and brought her hands to his pectorals before giving his nipples an unforgiving, hard twist!

  
  


As expected, he howled in pain, dream effectively shattered, and thrashed about with a sudden burst of energy!

Ginta barely managed to grab her about the waist before the male started swiping at her with razor sharp claws! Beta and human fell back together in a tangled mess in the grasses as the man started shouting various profanities in their direction!

  
  


“What the fuck, you bitch!?” he was immediately on his feet and stomping towards them with a dangerous gleam in his eyes!

  
  


“You came back here in a complete daze! Somebody locked you in some horrid illusion and I didn't have any way to help you other than......that!” Kagome gestured to his now sore looking nipples.

  
  


She was on her feet now, matching his rage and volume, cheeks flushed prettily in upset, “I couldn't have you stay....wherever it was you were! We don't have enough people here to watch all of you that seem out to tea so I had to do something to wake you up!” she finished, somewhat out of breath.

  
  


The man blinked owlishly at her. What was with this human girl? Wait a minute....wasn't she the one that crashed into Takeshi the other day during their war meeting? He had heard some things about the human slave from the east from whispers from his eastern brothers afterwards too. The grand majority of their testimony dripped in acidic disgust. She was small with creamy skin and coal black hair, seemed weak, wore eastern furs and armor, but, Gods was she fiery! What a contrast to her spectacle of wriggling out of his leader's arms only to hide behind the eastern alpha. He couldn't help but feel momentarily stunned into silence as his brain processed everything.

  
  


“I'm sorry that I hurt you but I didn't have any other choice open to me,” she was still fuming with arms now crossed.

  
  


One of the eastern betas stood warily behind her, watching him very carefully. A large brown wolf sat at her side also watching him very closely. What was this? Why would a wolf and a ranking wolf demon be standing nearby her as if to protect? He didn't know what to make of this strange scene.

  
  


“Now that you're with us,” the girl walked a step forward, “how did you end up like that?”

  
  


The man felt lost in her forest eyes for a moment before he began to speak, “We were fighting some woman with long red hair in a short green and pink kimono. She....made some kind of flower petal magic and.....that's all I can remember?” he recalled, suddenly feeling bewildered. Why couldn't he remember any more than that? He didn't know how he got here either come to think of it.

  
  


“Hm, I see...” Kagome walked slowly to him, chestplate in hand, “ Unfortunately, I don't have anything to help anybody that falls under this spell aside from...well....you know,” she smiled apologetically as she handed him his chestplate.

  
  


He gingerly took it from her and strapped it back on.

  
  


“If you're feeling well enough, you can go if you want. I still have your friends to tend to...” the girl cast her eyes over to the other men that must've gotten caught in the same spell. She wondered how long her luck would hold out before one of their swipes successfully harmed her....

  
  


“....I'll do it,” the man adjusted his chestplate until it settled against his form. “Consider it making us square, I guess,” he sighed as he walked over to the nearest comrade and started removing the chestplate.

  
  


The priestess didn't know what to say at this point. She had not expected anybody outside of Ginta and Hakkaku to be helpful in her efforts to take care of everyone. Now that he was standing, the man was roughly Kouga's height, maybe a touch taller, and a bit burlier. His short, teal hair was tied back in a low bottlebrush ponytail. Like the rest of his pack, he wore a midnight black fur kilt, shin guards, wristbands and a chest plate with black furry shoulder pads. Deep chocolate eyes sat underneath a defined brow that was as firmly set as his jaw.

  
  


Kagome could only watch in fascination as this man repeated her process and deftly sidestepped each comrade's sudden awakening outburst/attack. Each one got an unforgiving clubbing on the head to bring them back to their senses.....and to punish them for lashing out at him, the girl assumed. She flinched each time one of the men got clobbered. That....looked really painful.....but it took mere minutes to clue in each warrior once they joined the present. She would remember this favor from.....what is this guy's name?

  
  


“Ooooowwwwwww!!! What the hell do you think you're doing, Ryuji?! I oughta - !” **clobber!** Yet another head meets the fist of the man now known as 'Ryuji', “urg!.....son of a-” the man hissed in pain.

  
  


“Shut up and get back out there!” Ryuji barked with a snarl.

  
  


All of the men ambled slowly to their feet, grumbling along the way while rubbing their sore heads. Ryuji growled and they high tailed it out of there!

  
  


“Th-thank you,” Kagome blinked, still not quite believing what just happened.

  
  


“We're square. That's all,” he grumbled without looking at her before he ran to catch up with the rest.

  
  


**Sigh** “Why _him_ , Kagome?” Ginta finally let go of the breath he had been holding.

  
  


“What? I don't understand....?” the girl turned, confusion evident on her features.

  
  


“You know how we're Kouga's betas, right?” he gestured between himself and Hakkaku, “ _that guy_ was Takeshi's beta.”

  
  


“Oh,” Kagome hmmmed for a moment, “and?”

  
  


What was the big deal? So he is the beta for the western pack....so what?

  
  


“Let's just say he's not a fan of humans,” Ginta began scratching the back of his head.

  
  


“So? Pretty much all of the eastern pack hates me. What does it matter if another joins the 'I hate humans club'?” the girl mumbled in annoyance as she folded her arms.

  
  


“The higher the rank of the wolf that has a problem with you, the harder it is to _protect_ you,” he explained, meeting her gaze in all seriousness.

  
  


“How was I supposed to know who is who or who holds whatever rank?” Kagome swallowed uneasily.

  
  


It was true she wouldn't know anything about pack structure or politics being human and all. Why should that incur any punishment? It was hardly fair! Then again, fairness didn't seem to reign at all with these wolf demons. There were leaders, a strict hierarchy to follow and death or banishment awaited anybody that failed to follow the rules. She supposed that this Ryuji guy would be just one more youkai on the list to remember to watch out for. That list was growing pretty long....

  
  


“Just.....don't do anything stupid, okay?” Ginta cautioned her, “don't get too comfortable with anybody or trust too quickly. By the time you realize you're in trouble, it'll be too late. You're lucky that I was here. Otherwise, Ryuji would've killed you.”

  
  


Kagome took his words to heart. She knew he was right and he was right to urge her to be more cautious. Just because he and Hakkaku have warmed to her doesn't mean anybody else will. She scoffed at the notion that she may be getting 'too comfortable' with anyone considering how careful she had been so far.....save for Kouga maybe. She _was_ sharing his bed with him every night now....they were at least a few feet apart but still in the same bed. In his case though, they had a deal in place and both seemed to be determined to see the terms through. Still, twisting nipples on some strange man from another pack probably wasn't her smartest move. Nor was it brilliant to have a shouting match with said strange man.

  
  


“You're right, I need to be more careful,” she admitted.

  
  


“Alright, let's get back to work now that that's settled,” the beta gestured towards the injured still in need of care.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The rest of the day and following night passed quickly. As soon as one male recovered enough to return to battle, two or three more came back wounded. Kagome saw several of the men many times over as they incurred new injuries. Human and betas were always moving somewhere to help somebody. Kagome collapsed to the ground on her knees, sweat dripping from her brow. Where did the day go? It seemed like the sun had just risen and here it was nighttime again. She hadn't had a bite to eat or a wink of sleep in the last 24 hours now and the fatigue was really catching up with her. How much longer was this battle going to go on? Kagome looked over to see both Ginta and Hakkaku were showing signs of wear as well. None of them would be able to keep this up forever. Something was going to have to give eventually. Speaking of forever....her herb stores had fallen dangerously low. It was amazing how much they had gone through despite how overstuffed her bags were before coming here. She had known they couldn't last indefinitely; especially with more men to treat than the last battle. Doing something about the lack of herbs couldn't be put off any longer.

  
  


Grabbing the empty sacks and her bow and quiver, she motioned for Hayate to come to her.

  
  


“Where do you think you're going?” Ginta looked up in alarm.

  
  


“We're almost completely out of supplies. I have to go forage for more or we won't be able to help anybody else,” she met his worried gaze with a resolute one of her own, “it's dark and the battle seems pretty far from us now so maybe it'll be at least a little safer.”

  
  


“Didn't I just say not to do anything stupid? Going out there is suicide!” he brought up a hand over his eyes as he lightly shook his head.

  
  


“I know!.....but....I don't see any other way. The fight is still going. We don't know when it will end. All we know is that injured still need care,” she mounted onto Hayate's strong back.

  
  


Ginta opened his mouth to argue - “Would you or Hakkaku know what plants to look for?” she fixed him with a pointed look.

  
  


As much as he really didn't like it; he knew that she had a point. Frankly, he couldn't see another way to solve this issue either.

  
  


“Fine,” he acquiesced, “ stay alert and hurry back.”

  
  


The priestess offered a small smile before urging her wolfy steed to travel to the nearby trees across the field. She figured if there were medical herbs anywhere; a patch of woods would be as good a place as any to start. The plants she was looking for are fairly common and grow in temperate regions. She guided her lupine companion to crouch and move slowly through the sea of grasses in hopes of avoiding unwanted attention. It continued to amaze her how quiet such a large, powerful animal could be on his paws.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Eventually, the duo reached the edge of a glen in between the rolling hills before Kagome dismounted with a cleansing, deep breath that she didn't know she had been holding while they crossed the field. Wherever there was water, one could find trees, and where there were trees, one could find nearby bushes and low shrubs....and hopefully patches of herbs. It was a great risk coming out here, alone, in the dark.....Normally, the dark didn't bother her but with such comforting thoughts like the assassination abilities of the wildcats, their apt use of trees and the tendency to use poisoning and paralyzing techniques....she couldn't help but feel creeped out and wary of the quiet environment and singing crickets. It was as if any moment now, one of those cats could jump her and it would be over.

  
  


'Focus!,' she mentally yelled at herself, 'if there was somebody here, Hayate would probably sense them and, remember, you are a priestess! These are youkai you're worried about. Your abilities are plenty strong enough to sense them before they get too close!'

  
  


It was unlike her to start doubting her abilities. She had been training and practicing as a miko for just about her whole life. Hundreds of people have been helped by her holy abilities and knowledge of the healing arts. Most villages she would journey through would greet her warmly and offer kindnesses in the form of a homemade meal or a safe place to bed down for the night. She charged only enough money to get by as becoming rich or profiting off of the ill and fearful sat wrong with her. Seeing all of those smiling faces in her memory helped ease her mind and she took a deep breath of warm, summer night air.

  
  


'Focus. The sooner I can find what I need, the sooner I can go back to the medical space with everybody else,' she repeated like a mantra in her head.

  
  


Kagome looked about the glen for any sign of the plants she needed. The moon wasn't full this night but it was full enough to bath everything in an ethereal silver shroud. Thank goodness that there was plenty of moonlight, otherwise, she would have a much harder time trying to locate and gather the herbs. She stepped as lightly as she could through the brush, picking up a sprig here or there and stashing it in her bag. Hayate padded silently alongside her as he normally would any other time; sniffing about. Each snap of a twig or a rustle of leaves had her constantly looking around her for any sign of the enemy. Every shadow seemed to magically have feline features. Oh, how she wished she could just project a barrier around herself! But if she did that, it would be like announcing her presence in the loudest, most obvious way to all nearby demons. Speaking of her abilities....she was genuinely surprised that she had not been forced to use them so far. There had been a couple of close calls but the pack remained blissfully ignorant of her holy abilities. Even Kouga with his hyper aware senses had not detected them. That probably wouldn't last forever but she hoped that she could stave off anybody discovering about her priestesshood for as long as possible. Or at least until people stopped hating her with a passion...if that was even possible. It _has_ been over a month and the pack at large still obviously hated her presence in the caves.

  
  


She followed the brook quietly flowing through the glen as she listened for anything out of place. Luckily for her, the plants she needed were often found near water sources like this brook. There were several small patches of the plant she was looking for growing along the banks. She smiled to herself as she crouched down to harvest, careful not to pick every single plant and leave some for others' use. It was an important teaching in the miko arts to only take what you need and leave some for others. Plus, it was good for the natural environment not to take too much. A slight shiver zinged up her spine, surprising her into making a soft gasp. Hayate's ears pricked forward and his forehead wrinkled as he lifted his head, seemingly staring at something far off.

  
  


She couldn't see anything, but, in the distance, she could hear sounds of a skirmish. Well....these sounds were more like a hissing cat and vicious canine snarls and barks. Maybe one of those giant wolves was fighting that huge wildcat she saw earlier? A large animal of equal or better power would be best to take on _that_! Because that cat was so large and strong looking, did that mean it was the wildcats' leader? Come to think of it; was it the same opponent from earlier? She firmly latched the herb sack shut as curiosity took over and quietly pushed through the brush in a bid to get a better look. A few miles out in the grassy sea, she could make out 3 big, dark forms clashing against each other.

  
  


Lo and behold, it was the same giant wildcat as before! Two very large wolves were lunging at it, trying to get a biting hold. From what she could tell, despite the fight being 2 on 1, the fighters were at a stalemate. How was this possible? Kagome continued to watch the battle closely as Hayate sat next to her. Just then, a bright bolt sliced through the air from one of the cat's great paws! The girl couldn't help but flinch and shut her eyes from the unexpected brightness that lasted merely seconds. Amazing....this wildcat somehow had harnessed the power of lightning. Kagome didn't know if this was normal for a wildcat demon or if it was specific to this one cat.....but one thing was for sure: these wildcats truly were dangerous and wily opponents. It wasn't too long ago that she had thought something similar of the wolf demons. They were still ferocious and dangerous in their own right, of course....but none of them had shown any kind of elemental mastery to her knowledge so far. The cat threw out several more bolts but the giant wolves dodged fluidly, despite their immense size. Watching their movements was almost entrancing. Each one poured through the grassy sea with ease and surprisingly quiet. Kagome wondered if she would be able to see one of these huge wolves up close someday.....in a casual, non-threatening setting, of course.

  
  


A shiver ran up her spine right then that was the telltale sign of a nearby demon. She stumbled back into the brush, trying to pinpoint from which direction she was sensing this new demon. Hayate drew closer to her now as his ears flattened and his muzzle began to wrinkle, showing the start of rows of sharp teeth. No matter where she looked, she couldn't see anybody nor read a general direction for the youki she was feeling. Did these cats know how to suppress their energy like she did? Great. As if they needed to be any tougher to deal with! She readied her bow and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm herself. If she could quiet her mind, then she should be able to feel out whoever else was nearby.

  
  


She shut her eyes and focused on her breath.

Breathe..

  
  


In...out...

  
  


Inhale....exhale....

  
  


Rustling of leaves....

  
  


Babbling of the brook.....

  
  


The crickets are silent.....Whomever is out here is very close.....

  
  


Gentle breeze on her skin.....blowing through Hayate's fur and her hair.....

  
  


A deepening, rumbling lupine growl.....

  
  


A rippling of youki......

  
  


Kagome whipped around and let an arrow fly into the darkness!

  
  


“ **REOOORW!!** ”

  
  


**Thump!**

It sounded like somebody just fell out of a tree! Kagome notched another arrow and crept closer to where the sound came from. Hayate bounded a few steps ahead of her until they came upon a tree with some crushed grasses and a small pool of blood. Whomever she hit with that arrow was already on the move!

  
  


'Okay...I think it's time to go....' the priestess hurried to her wolfy steed.

  
  


She did _not_ want to get into a fight with any of the cats! Especially out here alone in the dark!

  
  


Hayate tore off with her securely on his back back into the tall grasses. The giant cat and wolves were still fighting somewhat nearby so she elected to give them a wide berth and rode towards a different cluster of trees. Perhaps the brush could offer her some cover as they worked back to the medical space! Kagome kept her eye on the battle of the giants; leaving the navigation to Hayate as she trusted that he knew where to go. To her horror, several pairs of running footsteps began to surround her and her steed on both sides and behind!

  
  


'Oh, Gods, no!' Kagome worriedly looked about as she registered at least 5 different sources of youki energy.

  
  


She couldn't lead them back to the medical space. There may be wounded unable to defend themselves and who knows how many of them were there now? People could get hurt worse than they already were or even killed. She wouldn't risk their safety nor the wellbeing of the two betas she had found the joy of friendship with!

  
  


The priestess leaned in closer to Hayate's strong body as he wove through the plains. She urged him to speed up with a purposeful squeezing of her legs into his torso. Those running footsteps were falling a bit behind now. Again, she urged him to speed up, this time with a soft verbal cue. She planned to lose them with Hayate's speed. After several herb runs in the mountains, she had gotten familiar with how fast he could be. In no time at all, they broke through the tree line and began darting around the trees in the woods in a bid to lose the pursuers. Kagome checked over her shoulder and was delighted to see the strategy seemed to be working. She couldn't see anybody behind her and the only galloping footfalls were those of her lupine companion. Just to be sure, they ran for several more minutes before stopping behind a large oak tree. The priestess focused once more and scanned the surrounding area for signs of youki. When she found none, she let out a deep sigh of relief. That was scary.....and she did wonder if their pursuers had truly given up or were some kind of clever hiding. After all, it was a tricky thing to find these cats with her abilities. Could they really mask their energy or was she maybe getting rusty? It has been over a month now since she had used her powers in any capacity....She made a mental note then that she should practice every chance she got for now on. There may be other youkai out there that could do the same with their energies or she may need to defend herself.

“ **grooowwwwlllll......** ”

  
  


Kagome's attention crashed back to the present as she felt Hayate's deep growl resonate through her. She looked quickly all around her and saw only dark woods....

  
  


**gasp!** 'The trees - !' she looked up to see several pairs of lambent gold eyes staring down at her.

  
  


Quick as anything; one of the assailants dropped from their perch and took a swipe with sharp claws!

  
  


Hayate dodged gracefully to the side before turning tail and running back the way they came!

  
  


Kagome held onto his fur for dear life. She had been so sure that they had lost the cats! Where did she go wrong in her thinking?!......Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.....Hakkaku had mentioned yesterday that the cats made great use of the trees thanks to their agility. How could she have forgotten something so important? That was the reason why they didn't make camp in any wooded areas in the first place! There wasn't any time to feel foolish as they were almost back to the treeline again. She decided then that they would need to make some sort of stand here. Running wasn't an option anymore. The cats were only too easy to hear now as they continued their pursuit. What with their cover blown; going back into “stealth mode” was probably an irrelevant tactic now.

  
  


Upon reaching the border where the woods gave into the plains, she directed Hayate to turn sharply and face their adversaries head on.

  
  


Five cats of varying sizes landed almost soundlessly on the forest floor several feet away from the girl and wolf. Each one looked distinctly feline with soft glowing eyes of gold, fur covered bodies covered in various pieces of armor, tails and short pointy ears. It was uncanny how close they looked to simple pet house cats that lounged around the hut. These cats were far smaller than that huge one she saw earlier but they still stood a few inches over her head.

  
  


“Finally done runnin', girl?” one of them stepped forward with a sneer, his whiskers blowing in the summer night breeze.

  
  


“Now I have seen everythin'.....a human girl ridin' a wolf? Guys, are you seein' this?” he looked back to his comrades, gesturing with a clawed thumb and a condescending chuckle.

  
  


The rest of his group all agreed this sight was vastly entertaining as they laughed with mouths full of sharp teeth.

  
  


Hayate continued to growl as fear melted into indignation in his rider. How dare they make fun of her wolf companion! They could insult her all they wanted but this was crossing a line....

  
  


“Leave us alone or I will make you answer for it,” Kagome sat tall on her steed's furry shoulders, eyes burning with determination, hands on a bow at the ready with a notched arrow.

  
  


“What are ya' gunna do, little slave? Go ahead and shoot; I guarantee you will miss,” the cat crossed his arms with half mast eyes, looking bored as he shifted his weight on one leg.

  
  


The rest of the group took relaxed stances as well; eyeing the strange pair as if they were some passing entertainment. Apparently, they were _very_ confident in their fighting abilities. Kagome reflected a moment on how similar this night felt to that fateful encounter with Kouga back in her village. It really was funny in a cosmic sort of way.

  
  


“Why wait when we can end this right now?” one of the cats in the back purred as he drew his blade and lunged at the girl and wolf!

  
  


It was as if time slowed to an absolute crawl and all extraneous sound became muted.

  
  


The assailant running forward with sword at the ready to slice. The grasses crunching under his weight. His companions in the back just now starting to move and draw their weapons. The leading cat noticing the movements of his comrades over his shoulder. The exhaling of her breath. The steady tempo of her heart beating inside her chest. A familiar warmth starting deep within her soul and building. A couple of beats away before that sharp glinting blade would bathed in her blood, Hayate shifted to the side, strong, lithe muscles pulling them both away several feet from danger. All feline faces watching, surprise coloring their furry features. A deep breath as Kagome pulled her arm back, string pulling taught, arms raising with the flexing bow as that warmth raced from within her to the metal arrowhead that now began to glow pink-ish purple. Hayate continuing to the side back towards the woods. The energy concentrating, swirling around the arrowhead. Cockiness draining from the cats's faces as fear began to overshadow their eyes. Hayate now behind the group, skidding on his paws in the dirt, granting Kagome a clear shot. The energy now completely infused into the arrowhead, humming and pulsing. The snap of the string as the she let the arrow fly into the center of the wildcat group. A releasing exhale as the arrow hit the grassy floor with a **thunk**! The cats scrambling to get away as the arrow's energy detonates in a bright pink-purple flash!

* * *

A shockwave from the holy explosion sliced through the air, effectively making all demonic activity stop dead in its tracks. An eerie silence descended on the battlefield in its wake. Wildcat and wolf demon alike looked about, battle completely forgotten, confused and alarmed to feel the unexpected presence of reiki energy. Even the battle between the largest wildcat and the 2 huge wolves came to a grinding halt. Where on earth did _that_ come from?! Was there a holy user nearby!?

  
  


Kouga looked about wildly, ears forward and listening hard, licorice nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air and stretched out his youki to find the source of the reiki. Initially, he saw nothing nor did he smell anything out of place...until he noticed out of the corner of his vision a dark, somewhat familiar form dashed out of the wooded area behind them and into the grassy sea. Before he could investigate further, it occurred like a shock to his senses that everybody else on the battlefield were distracted by the sudden burst of holy energy! He snarled and bit hard on the big cat's tail as the other wolf pounced on the foe with all of his weight, jaws snapping securely around the feline's throat!

  
  


“ **REEOOOOWWWWRRRR! – GACK! HACK! HECK!** ” the big cat screeched in pain and then sputtered with the crushing pressure around his throat! He flailed about helplessly on his massive back, arms waving trying to get his attacker off but the wolf only increased his hold, now starting to close the windpipe with his large, sharp teeth.

  
  


“O--- **hack!** O-kay! **Gack! Cough** ! Okay! **Cough!** -top!” the cat managed to get out before the great black wolf loosened his literal stranglehold and moved back a few steps. The large brown wolf was laughing in his head at the pathetic display of this cat leader.

  
  


“Now, then, “Itchy”, shall we discuss new trade terms?” Takeshi sneered through his many sharp teeth in a decidedly wolfish smile.

  
  


“ **HIISSSS!** I have told you a thousand times not to call me that!!! The name is 'Ichiro', you fucking fleabag! I-CHI-RO!” the giant cat screeched at the smug looking black wolf.

  
  


Ichiro _hated_ being called 'Itchy' with a passion! That insufferable mutt had started calling him that a little over 100 years ago during a festival where both had successfully gotten quite drunk and. He. Never. Stopped! DAMMIT!

  
  


“Ha! I don't think you're in any position to be giving any orders, Itchy,” Takeshi barked with a laugh as he stepped on top of the cat's torso with two of his great paws, effectively deflating the cat's stomach and lungs.

  
  


Kouga sat triumphantly to the side as the two clan leaders hashed out their new trade terms in between sputtering coughs and copious amounts of insults and threats. Watching this whole thing was actually quite entertaining, but he did wonder though if what he saw a few moments ago was true or a trick of the shadows. That couldn't have been her....could it? What if it was? He had ordered her to stay out of the fight several times before they got here! Did she make that holy explosion? Kouga's mind raced with the possible implications of what it could mean if Kagome was indeed a holy user. Not to mention there was a whole new mess of questions for his beast now if she was.....Just how much did his beast know about this? Obviously, if she was a holy user, then he would have to kill her for the sake of his pack. The thought unsettled him greatly.

  
  


A particularly juicy gag from the cat's throat broke him out of his thoughts now, bringing him back to the present.

  
  


A few more minutes passed before an agreement was made, officially ending this war. Ichiro got to his feet eventually, after taking several greedy gulps of fresh summer night air. Then, he begrudgingly released a single bolt from his furry palm into the sky that exploded like a small firework, letting his men know the fighting was over. Afterwards, both wolves belted out victorious howl, letting their forces know the same. Various cheers coursed over the grasses mixed with various degrees of feline hisses and grumbling.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Kagome! Where have you been?!,” Ginta ran up to her with Hakakku close behind.

  
  


Kagome's thoughts froze in her mind.....how was she going to explain....well....any of what just happened? Both betas looked worried but also on edge. She didn't know exactly how long she had been gone but she surmised it must have been awhile at least.

  
  


“Eh? Uh. Hm. Well...it did take awhile to find the plants I was looking for....which I did find eventually!” she started with a stutter and finished with triumph as she held up he sack now full of various herbs.

  
  


She hoped it would distract them from asking about any...other...recent events. Lying to them wasn't an appealing idea whatsoever but she couldn't tell them she was a priestess! Whatever friendship may go out the window in favor of killing her.

  
  


“Hey, did you see anybody out there that made that holy blast?” Hakkaku pressed forward, shoving Ginta aside.

  
  


“Yeah! That explosion! Damn, that surprised me,” Ginta breathed a sigh of relief, “who would've thought that there would be anybody like _that_ out _here_ of all places and _tonight_ of all nights?” he looked worriedly at his comrade.

  
  


“Yeah, it _is_ concerning,” Hakkaku stroked his chin deep in thought.

  
  


“ **Aaarrroooooooo!** ” a familiar great howl echoed over the plains.

  
  


**Gasp**! “The battle's over!” both betas cheered together, “Whoo! It's over and we won!”

  
  


Kagome took this moment of distraction to slip away from any more discomforting questions to tend to anybody else that had injuries and was surprised to find the space was already emptying. Wounded eastern and western soldiers alike started celebrating together in victory! Where they were going, she wasn't sure. Maybe to their respective leaders?

  
  


“C'mon, Kagome, pack up and let's regroup with Kouga,” Hakakku urged.

  
  


“We're probably going to celebrate with a feast at the western den!,” Ginta added excitedly.

  
  


The priestess did as she was told, rewrapping the large fur cape around her shoulders, and found herself suddenly by Kouga's side once more. His 'human' side as he must have shifted back in the last couple of minutes. A strange joy of relief bubbled up in her chest at seeing him in one piece. He didn't look terribly injured. Maybe a few scratches here or there. Nothing a bit of her trusty herbal salve wouldn't cure! Once the scent of endless flowers caught his nose, he couldn't help but look to find her. As she looked up at him, relief playing across her face, he automatically did his own appraisal of her physical well-being. Her creamy skin seemed unbroken, all limbs were intact....in fact she only looked tired and maybe took a few tumbles down a hill aside from the various stains of dirt on her furs and various brush caught in her hair. His hand moved without his permission to carefully pick out those leaves and twigs. She eyed his movement before smiling softly with a quiet giggle as he worked. Hair successfully freed of debris, his gaze softened a touch as she opened her forest eyes again, before the stoic curtain fell over his face again.

  
  


'What am I doing!? She may be a damn priestess!,' he mentally berated himself. His beast growled in similar sentiment in the their shared mind-space.

  
  


He immediately took back his hand as if she might be poison. If she is a priestess, then she might as well be. The quick movement had Kagome blinking in surprise before another great clawed hand found the top of her head.

  
  


“Well, Little Flower, looks like you made it through this battle! You're a tough little one; I'm impressed” Takeshi grinned as his clawed hand tussled through her raven locks, “how would you like to see the western den? Come!” he scooped her up in one arm as if she weighed nothing, cape and all, “We're going to have a feast to celebrate this victory!”.

  
  


He went to start the journey when his bundle of beautiful became suddenly absent from his arm.

  
  


“Easy, Takeshi, you're scaring the human,” Kouga set her down back on the ground and she promptly moved behind him, just as he suspected she would since the stench of fear was creeping into her scent, “besides, she stays with me, being my servant and all.”

  
  


Said human glared at the back of the eastern alpha's head, feeling somewhat incensed at his oh-so-endearing choice of word for her.

  
  


'I guess it's better than being referred to as 'slave'...' she mentally grimaced as she rolled her eyes.

  
  


“Heh, she just needs time to get to know me. Plenty of time for that,” Takeshi walked off, completely unphased, to gather his men for the trip home.

  
  


Kouga knew he really should be keeping his distance from her. Especially if there was any chance that she wielded holy abilities.....but when he saw Takeshi starting to walk off with her, that possessive streak reared its head again like it did back at the den during that war meeting. Priestess or no; he truly didn't like anybody touching her. His beast shared the same sentiment as he growled at Takeshi's back. The conflicting thoughts of planning possible detachment and keeping her close were making his brain hurt. Why couldn't he just pick one train of thought and stick with it regarding her? He lightly shook his head as he finally concluded that there wasn't anything else to decide until he found out for sure whether she was a normal human or not.

  
  


Once they got to the western den and he found the right moment, he would have the truth. His beast snorted in agreement in their shared mind-space.

  
  


  
  



	8. Cover blown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga, Kagome and pack arrive at the western den to celebrate their combined victory with the western pack over the wildcats. Kouga unravels the mystery behind the sudden reiki explosion during the battle. Takeshi falls harder for the priestess as she and Ryuji but heads.

~Forest and Sky~

**by Paw85**

**Ch 8 – Cover blown**

  
  


Dawn was breaking by the time the packs reached the western den. The den sentries heralded their arrival with joyous howls and excitement began to brew amongst the once sleepy caves. Several exuberant women ran towards the returning mob, singling out specific males to embrace. These lucky males answered the rush of affection with long, deep kisses, caresses and moans. The display was so intimate that Kagome tore her eyes away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and as if she were intruding on a private moment. She surmised that these must be courting couples or lovers. Eventually, she kept her eyes on Hayate's furry shoulders as each direction she turned now contained deeply sexual displays as more women met the returning soldiers. One couple was so enthralled that they were clawing eachother's garments off in clear desperation. A deep scarlet blush now flamed throughout Kagome's face and down to her shoulders as she could still _hear_ these couples getting hot and heavy. Out of habit, she pressed a bit closer to Kouga's walking form. He glanced over his shoulder, arcing a raven brow since her scent shifted to high embarrassment. He wasn't surprised that the girl couldn't stomach such open displays of desire. Her prudish reactions about pleasures of the flesh were often things he liked to tease her about. Oh, well, she was just going to have to deal. It was typical in wolf demon culture for couples that were courting or were already mates to express their carnal needs in public or common spaces. Their disputes often took place in view of the pack too. They were wolves after all and wolves shared a lot with each other by nature. It was part of the socializing aspect of pack life.

  
  


For a moment, Kouga wondered when he would get his chance to question the girl about her priestesshood. No doubt, they were going to be feasting for awhile. It was customary after coming home from a successful battle for warriors to eat and drink heartily, swap stories and rut with any willing female. Looking back at her again, he didn't think she would last through the celebration. She looked as if she was going to fall over any minute now. If Hayate wasn't carrying her, then she probably wouldn't have made it here at all. He supposed that he won't be doing much on the rutting front this time. Leaving her alone would probably mean that she would end up in that bastard, Takeshi's, bed....The thought turned his stomach. Maybe it was a good thing that she was exhausted as he doubted she could get into much trouble in this state. He made sure to tell her more than once what she needed to do in order to stay safe:

  
  


1 - keep your head down

2 – don't speak unless spoken to

3 – don't try to go out of your way to help or be nice to anybody

4...and the most important rule: stay by my(Kouga's) side; no wondering off

  
  


Kagome mentally grumbled at being treated like a child but her irritation cooled some when she remembered that these were a bunch of wolf demons that didn't care whether or not she lived or got hurt. At least the grand majority didn't care. As insulting as it was to her ego built off of many years of successful independence, she knew it was the safer route to go. Gods, she hated not being in control or having free choice! Still, she was also far too tired to get up in arms about her ability to take care of herself. It had been....maybe 3 days?....of very little or no sleep and she hadn't eaten much thanks to the constant stream of wounded. Maybe this feast could be good for her as well....assuming they deigned to feed her, that is. Back at the eastern den, she had complete charge of her diet and when she ate. Would she be able to partake of this feast she had been hearing about? More to the point....would the food be safe to eat? Did they eat primarily raw cuts of meat like the east? That Takeshi character seemed....interested....in her welfare as he left her that handy fur cape that she had used on multiple occasions to rest in or keep warm with. Perhaps she could prevail on his seemingly goodwill towards her and obtain some food?

  
  


The girl only registered that she was moving again by feeling Hayate walking underneath her. She didn't even have the energy to take in whatever new scenery must be around her now aside from what sounded like crashing waves and fresh, cool air with a tinge of saltiness to it caressing her face. What little she could tell was only serving to make it even more difficult to keep her eyes open. She hypnotically repeated mentally to herself that she must stay awake as they were in a strange new region now. Falling asleep would probably invite some kind of unfortunate event to happen to her. After a few more padded footfalls, Kagome elected to dismount from Hayate in a bid to increase awareness by getting her blood moving. Immediately, she bumped into Kouga's side.

  
  


“Hey, get it together and wake up!” he hurriedly whispered as he nudged her straight on the path again.

  
  


He couldn't have her passing out right here in the middle of two packs off to feast and relax. There were far too many chances, aka soldiers, for her to get hurt by. Worse, he had to be very careful with what assistance he provided her due to possible risk of being labeled a human sympathizer. Such a disgrace would unsettle his position in the pack and could throw away over a century of hard work to get to this point! Still, he needed to think of something to get her somewhere safe and fast!

  
  


She shook her head and took a few deep breaths in a desperate attempt to get more blood to her brain. Eventually, she felt something big, warm and furry force itself underneath her left arm. She looked down to find Hayate had pushed his nose between her arm and torso to become a sort of lupine crutch/guide. The girl instantly let her weight be supported by her wolf-ish babysitter. No...he was really more of a companion now. They had been through too much and spent too much time together to just be ward and guardian. If any moment made this clear, it was now. To her knowledge, he no longer had an order to kill her for any reason. The giant furball that used to be terrifying and creepy had become her friend in addition to mode of transportation.

  
  


Kouga watched the interaction out of the corner of his eye. He initially felt pride from his chosen alpha wolf's thinking. That was one of the reasons why Hayate led the animals. He wasn't sure what to make of the bond his wolf had made with the girl though. They seemed to be getting close but Kouga also knew that at the end of the day, Hayate knew who his master was. The beast watched through their share mind-space, just as unsure what to think about the girl and their lead wolf getting along so well.

  
  


From another spot in the returning mob, Ryuji also witnessed the strange interaction. He had never seen a human and wolf interact so familiarly before. Were they friends or some shit? It was the same wolf that he saw earlier at the medical space during the battle. And from what he saw, the girl rode the wolf too. Weird. No....'bizarre' was a better word.

  
  


“Ryuji!” came the all-too-familiar jovial, gruff voice of his leader as his head was suddenly brought into a headlock, “Did I hear correctly that you threatened to harm Little Flower?” Takeshi chuckled with a slight tone of danger.

  
  


Ryuji stumbled a bit and sputtered as Takeshi's grip was playfully loose but he knew from experience that this headlock could easily turn into a painful vice if he wasn't careful. 'Little Flower'??? What the hell was he talking about? Wait....

  
  


“You mean the human?” Ryuji righted his steps as Takeshi kept walking forward without breaking his gait.

  
  


“The one and the same. I hear you took a swipe at her.....” the hold was already tightening and he could hear the teeth clenching as the western alpha spoke.

  
  


“Did the men also tell you what she did to deserve that?!” Ryuji couldn't help but bite out.

  
  


So what if he just about killed her for it? She's just a human for gods' sake! It was infuriating and embarrassing to have one's nipples twisted like that....not to mention _painful as fuck_! The only bright spot in the whole situation was the fact that the rest of the pack wasn't there to witness his humiliation at the hands of a little human girl. The other men that were brought back with him were too out of it to have witnessed anything; thank the Gods.

  
  


“Well, they were unclear about that, BUT, we can't have any ill will between our packs now, can we?” Takeshi turned them to walk a new direction with the same unsettling smirk that he started this whole thing with.

  
  


Ryuji stumbled a few more times before the odd looking pair stopped at an even odder looking trio. Kouga looked them up and down, at a loss as to what the hell this was. Hayate also stopped while lifting his head, ears forward, to see the unexpected visitors as Kagome softly walked into his cheek.

  
  


“Hm? Why have we stopped?” she looked down at Hayate, then up at Kouga, then over to the 2 men that had walked over.

  
  


Takeshi seemed to have something to say and, if she wasn't mistaken, that was Ryuji in what looked like an uncomfortable head hold. The western alpha took in her visage as she looked at them. Beautiful. Even though she looked exhausted with bags under her eyes and had various stains of dirt and blood on her furs and armor, she looked beautiful in the morning light with the ocean breeze tussling her raven braid that was coming loose from the battle. He wanted to stroll over to her and carry her back to his bed for rest, food and...other things....but he knew that wouldn't fly....yet.

  
  


“Well, Kouga, it seems my beta here just about killed Little Flower on the battlefield. I imagine she was just trying to help him too....right, Ryuji?” he meaningfully squeezed his hold tighter around the beta's neck, “He seems to think that she somehow deserved it,” he shifted his smiling gaze down to Kagome, “So...tell me what happened, little one?”

  
  


That served to bring some life back into her mind and body. Oh, Gods, what should she do now? Should she lie? What would Takeshi say if she told him the truth? In the end, she decided that honesty is the best policy.

  
  


“Well, um, Ryuji and..some of the other males were brought back to the medical space in a strange daze. Nothing we tried could break whatever spell they were under and they wouldn't stay still. I was worried that they could wander off and get hurt worse so I....” her eyes bounced back and forth uncomfortably between the alphas and beta.

  
  


Kouga was watching her, one eyebrow raised, curious and yet maybe accusatory? He clearly thought something was up. Takeshi was listening with full attention. She could probably babble a bunch of gibberish and he would find it interesting. Ryuji looked miffed but resigned.

  
  


“...I took off his chestplate and twisted his nipples. Hard. He woke up after that,” she finished softly as if she were admitting to a shameful mistake.

  
  


For a full 10 seconds, neither man nor girl said anything.

  
  


Then, Takeshi burst out in a full bodied, echoing laugh that was sure to call attention from at least a mile away! Kouga followed suite immediately after and Ryuji merely hung his head in supreme defeat. There was _no way_ he was ever going to live this down. Kagome shifted uncomfortably on her feet, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. She also felt bad for Ryuji as this probably bruised his ego pretty badly. It had not been her intention back in the battle but she didn't have any better ideas at the time.

  
  


“Oh course -” Kouga breathed between guffaws, “you did!”

  
  


He had gotten used the fact by now that the girl was just as resourceful as she was trouble. The fact that she was entertaining by accident was also a theme that had been there from the start. Gods, that _had to have hurt_! He was infinitely glad those weren't his nipples that got tweaked!

  
  


Tears of glee were starting to stream down Takeshi's face, “So-” **snort** “ -still sore?” **chortle** , he managed to get out as the laugh riot continued.

  
  


Ryuji didn't answer but merely glared at the ground.

  
  


Takeshi couldn't believe this tiny human had such guts to do something so risky to a youkai! It was beyond amazing!

  
  


“And? Anything else to the story, Little Flower?” he looked down at Kagome again.

  
  


“Um, he yelled at me, I yelled back....I asked how he came to be in a such a daze and he answered as best he could.....and he took care of waking up the others that had also fallen under that weird spell. After that, he ordered everybody back to battle and then left himself,” she finished her account, silently patting herself on the back for managing to stay coherent and report everything without sounding like a bumbling fool due to fatigue.

  
  


The western alpha fervently wished he could have been there to see this all play out! It sounded absolutely hilarious! A tiny human like her in a shouting match with his second? Priceless! The girl had a serious fire in her belly to mouth off with his beta like that. Or any demon for that matter.

  
  


'So, she is more than a pretty face..' Takeshi smiled to himself predatorily.

  
  


_'She may even have the makings of an alpha female....'_ His black fur clad beast rumbled in approval; licking his furry lips in their shared mind-space.

  
  


' 'Little Flower'???' Kouga's mirth died down slowly as he finally picked up on what sounded like a term of endearment for the human.

  
  


He knew that she smelled like an endless field of flowers on a perfect, warm spring day. Apparently, this bastard thought so too. The asshole had used that nickname for her before they left for battle too. His beast was pacing now in agitation in their shared mind-space. Aside from getting answers from her about whether she was a gods-forsaken holy user, he now needed to find out Takeshi's intentions for Kagome. Even unknowingly, she made more work for him.....fucking hell...He should be stuffing his face with fine food and drink right now in glorious celebration of a hard-won fight! Instead, he gets to babysit the human so she doesn't get abducted by a lustful alpha male from another pack.....perfect. He could chance it with Hayate at her side as per typical.....but somehow, this time, he questioned if his top wolf would be enough. _Nobody_ was taking her from him! Her abilities belonged to _him_ and _him_ alone!

  
  


“Well, I'm glad he did not succeed in harming you, Little Flower, but I assure you he is very _sorry_ ,” Takeshi squeezed his grip around his second's neck again, “ and to prove our goodwill and in the spirit of brotherhood, Ryuji here is going to be your personal servant for the duration of your stay. Of course, he will be attending to you as well, my brother,” the western alpha nodded in Kouga's direction as he finally let go of Ryuji's head, letting him fall face first into the ground below.

  
  


“W-WHAT!?” Ryuji snapped up after falling into a heap on the sand, “you can't be serious that I serve a filthy human!”

  
  


“Oh? Just for that, you can escort them to our best guest chamber and you get the honor of carrying her there. Poor Little Flower looks exhausted!” Takeshi gently rubbed her head in sympathy before walking away to arrange the feast for several hundred hungry warriors.

  
  


Kagome was far too tired to feel afraid of the western leader but thankful that he took it easier on her noggin. She warily eyed Ryuji, who looked devastated by the orders handed down to him. She truly didn't want any special treatment like this. Ryuji already wasn't a fan of hers and now he doubly resented her. Why couldn't he just take them to a room and call it a day? The beta's chestnut gaze now snapped down to her forest irises, daggers blatantly obvious.

  
  


'My, if looks could kill....' Kagome morosely chuckled to herself.

  
  


He reluctantly took one step towards her before being stopped by a wall of eastern alpha that had stepped in front of her.

  
  


“I'll spare you the indignity of touching the human but I will take that escort,” Kouga met Ryuji's glare with an icy one of his own.

“Hmph, much obliged, brother,” the beta grumbled as he started to lead the way.

  
  


Kouga followed him as Kagome leaned on Hayate once more to keep her going in the right direction.

  
  


* * *

  
  


A short travel later, alpha, wolf and girl were shown to a stylish black pine door. Ryuji made immediately to leave but was stopped by a soft, tired voice, “Oh, could you please return this to...um...Takeshi?”

  
  


The beta rolled his eyes with a sigh before turning around to see a neatly folded black fur cape being extended to him by the human girl. If he wasn't mistaken...that's Takeshi's cape in her little hands. He looked down at it and then back up at her face, expression dripping with irritation, mouth an unhappy tight line. What did she think he was? He was _not_ her errand boy, dammit....but....Takeshi had given him a direct order.....And it was with that in mind that he took the cape from her with a growl and stalked away.

  
  


Kagome was happy to see him go without incident. She wasn't sure if he would bother to accept her request. In fact, she was more certain that he would refuse and follow up with some anti-human insult. That was often how it worked back at the eastern den anyway. Even if he had refused to help her, she wouldn't have held it against him. She was rapidly coming to the conclusion that maybe it was a wolf demon culture thing to treat humans with hatred and contempt. After all, humans were brought up the same but to hate demons. Kagome could still remember days as a younger girl when she used to believe the generalization that all demons were horrible, evil beings. It wasn't until her advanced priestess training with her mother that she considered that there may be another perspective to think about. Then, she was unexpectedly thrown into a demons' den where she could observe how things really happen with them. Well, at least she could see how life is for one demon clan anyway. It had been a bit over a month now since her servitude started and she had made quite a few parallels between humans and youkai: socializing, concept of family, hierarchy of leadership, warring to settle disputes, the group works together to take care of the whole, politics....At the end of the day, how different were the races really?

  
  


She walked back into the room, making sure to close the door securely. The room was a decent size but definitely smaller than Kouga's room back at the eastern den. The space smelt fresh and airy despite being enclosed with four mountain walls. There was a carved dresser with a pail of fresh water, a large carpet and furs covering the stony floor and a dresser with a lit candle that cast a soft, cheery glow in the room. In the center of the room was a rather narrow bed. It had to be maybe half, perhaps less, the incredible size of what Kouga's bed was. Sleeping conditions were going to be....a bit tight. Up until now, Kagome slept on the floor and more recently in Kouga's regal bed but they slept at opposite sides of the large bed. She never asked about it and, frankly, she didn't want to sleep any closer to him as she still didn't completely trust him to keep his hands to himself. Sleeping so far apart helped give her a sense of security. His continued disdain of her kind was another 'comfort' even if she resented his opinions. She sighed as she sat down on the welcoming softness of the bed covered in midnight black furs. The sheets and pillows looked to be wrapped in cotton linens as opposed to Kouga's decadent silks but she was plenty happy with what was available. Hayate had already made himself comfortable near what would be her side of the bed while his royal ass-ness was leaning against the wall, gaze downcast and arms folded. He seemed to be really deep in thought over something.

  
  


The man in question was indeed lost in his thoughts. For several hours now, he had reaffirmed over and over in his mind how important it was to find out once and for all if the girl had holy powers. His beast heartily agreed with him the entire way. It had been an exhausting mental circle that they went in many times but now that they were finally here, in a private setting well suited for getting his questions answered....he strangely didn't have a clue where to begin. He looked to his beast for any suggestions but the great furball was curiously bereft of speech too. The beast merely sat there uncomfortably, tail flicking slowly once in awhile, ears a bit flattened and gaze unsure. Since when did they ever falter at doing what needed to be done? This is ridiculous!

  
  


Eventually, Kouga went with the 'fuck it' approach and looked up to interrogate the girl with fierce determination in his sky blue eyes only to find that she was fast asleep on the bed! His wolf was curled up on the floor next to her, snoring heavily. It was so unexpected that Kouga stood there mouth agape for several seconds before deep irritation burst from his gut! An angry vein throbbed on the side of his temple and his teeth creaked from clenched jaws. A tightly squeezing fist that was turning white at the knuckles from lack of blood flow served as the only counter balance to the rage. How...in the holy mother of fuck...could this be happening... _AGAIN_!? This is exactly what took place back at the start of having the girl in the eastern caves when he had orders to give her and she so rudely fell asleep before she could hear them! He ended up repeating himself several times in order to get her to hear them too! Of course, she didn't follow them to the letter as he had expected her to. She was defiant from the start and remained so to this day! Somehow, she managed to walk a fine line between disobedience and following orders enough such that he didn't follow through with the urge to snap her neck. How she achieved this, he didn't understand. Maybe it was due to the fact that he still needed her abilities and he would be back to square one if he spilled her blood? This thought brought up an important point: if he parted ways from her after this, regardless of whether he killed and ate her or simply dropped her off somewhere, he _would_ be back to not having a pack healer. There was _still_ nobody else in the pack that could do what she could do. It felt like going backwards and that definitely sat wrong with him as a proud alpha wolf.

  
  


**Sniff** – **sniff** Wait a minute....he could scent something metallic....blood?

He immediately checked his body and could find no sign of bleeding anywhere. It was...nearby....so probably in this room....he continued following his supreme demonic nose until it brought him to the girl's side. The scent was coming from her! But where? He carefully lifted the bed furs and only saw smudges of dirt and various plants on her body until he got to her sleeping face. She had a dirt smudge on her left cheek. Underneath her raven bangs, he could make out a sliver of red. He gently brushed her bangs aside to find a shallow red scratch on her forehead going into her hairline. The blood was old but it still bothered him. Kouga searched out one of her bags, found some of that herbal paste that she always has and applied it with care to the scratch before letting her bangs flow back down. A quiet sigh escaped her petal pink lips as his touch left her before she turned on her side, settling back into deep slumber again. The eastern alpha stood at the side of of the bed, listening to her breathe and watching the soft candlelight dance across her porcelain features. The beast inside their shared mind-space looked on as well with a softened gaze. Kouga physically shook his head after another beat and sat at the foot of the bed, his head in his hands.

  
  


'What am I doing?....' he mentally asked nobody.

  
  


It was another proverbial elephant in the room that he had been avoiding for weeks now; he was changing. It started at the beginning of all of this....all the way back to that damn deal his beast made with the human girl. Both he and his beast were making different decisions than they normally would have under different circumstances. He didn't want to believe it but he couldn't ignore it any longer or blame his beast for being the only one acting odd. The girl was changing them ever-so-slightly and ever-so-slowly. Had man and beast become attached to her in some small way? It was something neither of them had seen coming and struggled to accept as a possibility; even now. It really wasn't a good thing to become fond of her in any way....but...her skills were impressive and helpful and her defiance had become a source of entertainment for him since then he got to plot out the best method for getting even and then enjoy her reaction. He turned to look on her again before stripping off his chestplate and dropping it out of aggravation onto the fur pelt on the floor.

  
  


'What am I talking about? I haven't changed! I'm just...maybe a little tired from battle,' he attempted to mentally reassured himself.

  
  


That sounded lame even in his own head and his beast chuffed in agreement. Kouga ignored him and laid down underneath the covers of the bed, disgusted with today's thoughts.

  
  


'Me? Changed? Bah! No way in hell!' he moved to get comfortable on his side and found the girl's sleeping face only a foot or so away from him.

  
  


By this time, he was beyond done with complicated thoughts for the day and simply surrendered to a dreamless sleep.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kouga awoke again several hours later, staring at the rocky ceiling of the guest room. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and set about re-strapping his armor on and putting his hair back up in its trademark high ponytail. Kagome was still dozing away in the bed, swaddled by the furs and sheets. She would probably sleep the rest of the day and night away if he let her. He had hoped that things would become clearer after getting some shuteye but he still felt as conflicted as before. The whole thing was irritating him all over again so he stalked back over to his side of the bed, leaned over and began to shake Kagome awake.

  
  


“Oi, wake up, I wanna talk to you,” he grumped until her thick lashes began to flutter open.

  
  


She stirred slowly, rolling onto her back with a yawn and and rubbed her eyes until things came into focus in the shape of a familiar man's face. His really _close_ face.

  
  


**Gasp!** “Aaah!” she yelped in surprise at his sudden proximity as she backed away and subsequently fell over the side of the bed onto an unsuspecting Hayate!

  
  


**Crash!**

**WHINE**!

  
  


**Gasp!** “Hay-chan! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall on you! Are you okay!?” she got off of him immediately and began to fuss over her lupine babysitter as if she had done him serious bodily harm.

  
  


Hayate, of course, was completely fine. He had merely been startled and waited patiently for the girl to look him over for any signs of injury.

  
  


“I'm really am sorry, Hay-chan. Will you forgive me?” she held his huge head by his furry cheeks in her tiny hands as she gazed into his amber eyes, pleading for his pardon.

  
  


The giant wolf leaned forward, rubbing his muzzle against her cheek and lightly licked the side of her face. Kagome couldn't help by smile and giggle at his show of affection and acceptance.

  
  


As he pulled back, she gently held his head as she touched her forehead to his, “Thank you.”

  
  


Kouga and his beast watched this peculiar scene play out, completely stupefied. 'Hay-chan???' When did she start calling his top wolf that? And...did the same wolf that had orders only a couple of weeks ago to kill her if she ran really just affectionately lick her face? The whole thing just failed to compute.

  
  


“Ewwww! Oh, Hay-chan, you are definitely getting a bath when we get back because you really stink!” she recoiled back from him while holding her nose.

  
  


Hayate tilted his head as if to show he didn't understand.

  
  


“You will learn what a bath is when we get back to the den, mister, and you're going to enjoy it,” Kagome nodded to herself in agreement, “you're going to smell nice, look nice and, who knows, maybe get yourself the attention of a lady wolf. What do you think? Sound good?”

  
  


The only response she received was Hayate tilting his head the other way with a wrinkled forehead.

  
  


Kouga and the beast traded equal looks of disbelief in their mind-space. _This_ girl is supposed to be _dangerous_??? The one to be _cautious_ about? The one that they should _destroy_ for the sake of the pack? The drive to interrogate was starting to fade so Kouga jumped right in with the question that had been weighing on his mind for hours:

  
  


“Tell me the truth, human: Are you a priestess?” There, he finally got out the all important question whose answer could change everything.

  
  


Kagome's breathe hitched right then as her expression turned from cheerful to serious.

  
  


'Well, I suppose it couldn't be kept a secret forever...' she thought somberly to herself with a small sad smile tugging at her lips as she rose to her feet and sat across from him on the bed.

  
  


“Yes, I am a priestess,” she answered with a strong, unfaltering gaze.

  
  


She had meant to follow that answer up with her own question of how he found out, but, at this point, what did it matter? He may just decide to slice her throat right here for all she knew. Instead, she decided to pour all of her energy into making as brave a front as possible to mask the fear growing inside.

  
  


Fucking hell; he had had a strong inkling that reiki explosion came from her since he thought he saw her riding away from blast site. Now he had undeniable proof via her confession.

  
  


“Why didn't you stay out of the battle like I told you to?” he snarled at her as he took to standing now in the center of the room.

  
  


He began to pace as his rage was building. A damn priestess had been in his caves, his chambers...in his bed!.....and he had no idea! How could this have happened?! He went over the various interactions they had and not once did he suspect that she was anything other than a normal human. How many times had he come this close to being purified?! Too many to count....

  
  


“My herbal supplies ran out and there were still injured coming in so I had to leave to forage for more,” she answered, worry starting to creep into her voice despite her willing it so hard not to, “we were on our way back when we became surrounded....I tried to lose them in a nearby wood but they caught up with us easily. I knew there weren't any demons around me and Hayate wouldn't be affected since he's an animal. I did what I had to do because I literally had no other choice! Was I supposed to die for your war?” she finished on her feet, more upset clouding her features.

  
  


At that last comment, his mind froze for a moment as his eyes widened.

  
  


'Was I supposed to die for your war?' echoed in his mind as his chest began to tighten. He ignored it and pressed on, focusing on upset.

  
  


“All this time...So you always had this power at your disposal? What were you planning to do, huh? Learn what you could about wolf youkai and then vaporize us all to ash? That's why you agreed to our deal, isn't it? Heh, I sorely underestimated you, girl, for making some bullshit deal and suppressing your power so you could infiltrate a youkai den....clever...” he finished dangerously soft as he tore his eyes away from her. He couldn't look at her. Betrayal coursed through his veins like wildfire.

  
  


“No! That's not why I made that deal and I never had any intention of hurting anyone! I agreed to that deal because I was desperate to protect my mother and my village. The reason you couldn't sense my holy power in the beginning is because I was really drained from my pilgrimage. I was returning home that night! If I wanted to hurt you back then, I couldn't!” she took a step closer to him, hoping he would understand, but he moved further away.

  
  


“'In the beginning,' huh?....When did your power come back?” he continued in that low tone that dripped with danger as he stared at the wall, his back to her.

  
  


“Just after I saved Ginta from that bird-of-paradise that almost flew away with him,” she answered in a soft, resigned tone as she sat back on the bed.

  
  


It was sounding to her as if he wasn't buying her testimony...even though it was the gods' honest truth. If he decided not to believe her, then, all of this work, the difficulties and pain she had endured thus far would be all for naught. The village and her mother would most likely be crushed. She would most likely be killed. Her heart squeezed uncomfortably in her chest at the morbid thoughts. She took a deep mental breath to brace her faltering will.

  
  


'Nothing is over until it's over!' she steeled herself!

  
  


'So, she's had at least a couple of weeks since her power recovered and yet she never turned it on anyone...not even me when I hurt her that time....' he reflected, as he had done more times than he liked to admit, on that day that he almost crushed her throat.

  
  


That thought opened a damn as various images flooded his mind of their bantering, her riding Hayate backwards while screaming, the tears that fell from those fiery forest eyes when she was hurt by bird talons, her hugging him that time even though it felt really weird, her crashing in Takeshi during the war meeting....that time she thanked him and his beast together for taking care of her while she smiled so gratefully....That last one stood out the most and he could hear his beast whine lowly.

  
  


“If I truly had intentions to harm anyone, don't you think I would have done it already?” she asked softly to his back.

  
  


He seemed to be refusing to look at her and it stung. She wanted to see the aggravatingly cocky grin and devious look in those sky blue eyes. Normally, that smirk irritated her immensely but she now wished to see it. At least, then, she would know that they were okay, that their deal was still in place. She silently willed him to turn around and look at her, laugh at her expense, order her around.....anything! Just say something!

  
  


Kouga was leaning towards the wall still, forehead braced by a bent forearm as he sorted through his thoughts. No matter how he looked at it; Kagome had not done anything to suggest that she was false in her intentions. 'Dangerous' really didn't fit her. If anything, she was skilled, intelligent, too trusting, naive and seemed to genuinely care about people. Could somebody so...kind...just be putting on an act? The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

  
  


“I have made friends back at the den, you know?” she smiled as she stroked Hayate's furry head.

  
  


At some point, the wolf had jumped up on the bed and now laid next to her, large forepaws hanging over the bed's edge.

  
  


'Friends???' his azure eyes snapped open at the foreign word. Did she really say she 'has friends back at the den'?

  
  


“There's Hay-chan, here, and Ginta, Hakkaku...and I think Nami and Kyo too,” the miko rubbed the great wolf's ears as his tail thumped quietly on the bed furs.

  
  


“...and Takeshi?” he asked without thinking.

  
  


Why the hell did he ask that? The question slipped out of his lips before he could think to stop himself.

  
  


“He creeps me out....I'm...thankful....that he seems to care about my welfare but...I can't shake this feeling that I don't want to get too close or allow him too close to me. Something about his aura is really off-putting...and I heard that he beds pretty much any willing woman....” she shivered a bit as she wrapped her arms around her middle, “...slimy...”.

  
  


The eastern alpha couldn't wrap his brain around it but her answer somehow comforted him.

  
  


“Hm, maybe you shouldn't accept gifts from him, then, if you have no interest,” was it her or was the insufferable cockiness coming back in his voice?

  
  


“I was shivering from jumping through that waterfall. Was I supposed to let myself freeze?” ire began to flare deep in her belly, “And he was just letting me borrow the cape. I already returned it.”

  
  


“Heh, and now you smell as bad as he does,” Kouga finally turned to face her, cocky grin and all back in place.

  
  


“Why are you so fixated on how I smell? The most I have ever heard from you is about how bad I smell! I bathe everyday for kami's sake,” (except for the past few days courtesy of the recent battle but that was hardly her fault)” she fumed, turning her gaze away with folded arms.

  
  


“Guess Hayate isn't the only one getting a bath when we get back,” he chuckled mischievously as he started for the pine door.

  
  


'You stuck up, son of a- wait? What?' she did a double take as she processed his words, ''When we get back'? Does that mean...?” she peered up at him, questions burning on her tongue but she didn't dare speak them for fear he may change his mind just to be an ass.

  
  


“I did say you could live as long as you remain useful to me, didn't I?” he shrugged as if it were an established fact that everybody knew, “you will bathe as soon as possible though. You really do reek,” he added with that infuriatingly arched raven brow.

  
  


Kagome didn't know how much to trust his word when he first stated her conditions for living. She would gladly take that 'order' to bathe though.

  
  


“Hm, now that's an order I'm happy to take care of as soon as possible,” she smiled as she stood up, wolf jumping off the bed to follow her.

  
  


“Yeah? Well, then, maybe you can apply this important practice of taking my orders without whining to every other command going forward?” he chided her as he opened the door to leave.

  
  


“Humph, don't hold your breath,” she walked passed him haughtily before turning around and sticking out her tongue like a bratty child.

  
  


'Aaaaand we're back to normal...' Kouga rolled his eyes at her silliness as he led them down the corridor to the dining cave.

  
  


The situation may not be ideal, what with her being a priestess and all, but she was still useful to him. Nobody else knew about her abilities. It was also painfully apparent that he had indeed changed at least a little. There was no doubt in his mind that this would have played out differently for anybody else in her shoes. He had become fond of the stubborn little brat walking alongside him and, for once, he didn't fight the realization.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The dining cave was a bright, warm site to see! Kagome's eyes were bouncing everywhere trying to take everything in. The room was large, well-lit with bluish-purple youkai fire, stuffed to the brim with people and yet spacious and airy. From what she could tell, it was early evening with the color of the sun's rays streaming through various natural openings in the cave walls. There were a couple of organic sky lights in the ceiling as well as some hanging decorations of sorts. This space would be very well naturally lit earlier in the day. Low, round tables were scattered about the room with various people sitting around them like the feasts she would enjoy back home with her neighbors. Underneath each table were layers of comfy furs. Lively conversations ricocheted about the room very much like they do back at the eastern den. On the side of the room was a large, long table with various raw or cooked food offerings, several barrels stood at the side of the table of what she assumed must be saké as she could hear the signs of inebriation already. Once she saw that table full of food, her stomach roared angrily at being left empty for so long. Several wolf youkai faces turned her direction in curiosity about the strange noise before returning to their festivities. Kouga smirked as the girl's cheeks bloomed with embarrassment. He surmised that she probably didn't get to eat much during the course of the battle.

  
  


“You rang?” a flat, rough voice heavy with annoyance sounded off suddenly in front of her.

  
  


Kagome looked up into Ryuji's scowling expression. He was standing there with his hands on his hips and looked as if he would much rather be doing _anything_ else right now....Was he always this tall and imposing? Kagome didn't memorize much of his image back on the battlefield when she met him the first time what with so much having to be done. Now that she was rested and in at least a slightly less dangerous setting, she committed him to memory from his loamy eyes to his teal short hair in that bottlebrush ponytail to the fact that he was only a touch taller and more muscular than Kouga. He....wasn't bad looking if she were being honest. She might even think him handsome if it weren't for that scowl.

  
  


Ryuji, on the other hand, forgot completely how twerpy she was. Scrawny even. He _did_ remember the forest eyes that he swore had a strange trance-like effect. Why this was so, he hadn't the slightest clue. Her coal hair was a mess, what should be creamy skin was home to numerous smudges of various colors. Yep; a filthy, weak little human. Though....he did recall that this little human had a fiery temper with a mouth to match.

  
  


“Well?” he growled with narrowing eyes.

  
  


The priestess merely stared up at him blankly, ' 'Well....' what? I don't know what he wants...'

  
  


As if on cue, her stomach grumbled again, 'Oh...' it finally hit her what he was inquiring about.

  
  


“Um, there's no need, really! I can get it myself,” she tried to politely decline.

  
  


“Alright, have it your way,” he shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the massively long food table.

  
  


By the time Kouga and Kagome sat at Takeshi's table that was perched on a higher rise in the floor, Ryuji came back with two plates piled high with various foods. One plate had various, raw, bloody meats in a messy pile and the other had some slices of cooked meat, some rice and mixed berries. It was clear which plate was for whom. Kagome stared down at her plate in wonder. It looked absolutely delicious and balanced for a human's diet!

  
  


'The meat is cooked....and there's fruit....and some rice! Oh, how I've missed rice!' she internally squealed with delight!

  
  


She couldn't wait to dig in but she still wondered how did Ryuji know that humans couldn't eat raw meat? Or that human diets have several food groups? She looked up at him dumbfounded. The alphas sat next to each other out of tradition and the betas shared the table too. Somehow, she ended up sitting in between Kouga and Ryuji. She stared up at the side of Ryuji's face as if silently willing him to explain.

  
  


“Problem? Eat,” he simply stated without looking at her as he took a bite off a massive rib.

  
  


When she didn't budge, he finished chewing the meat, and leaned over to the large saké barrel behind their table. He filled a couple of large mugs of it, handed one to Kouga and placed the other next to her plate. And, still, she kept staring up at him.

  
  


“What is it?” he growled as he looked down at her, making eye contact this time.

  
  


Then, she smiled wide and brightly, “Thank you! I don't know how you knew but it means so much!” she gushed up at him.

  
  


Ryuji flinched back a bit, blinking with wide eyes. He had not expected _this_ kind of reaction from her at all....Wait a minute.....'knew'? What was she going on about? Whatever it was had her starry eyed and all smiles. The whole thing made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

  
  


“The meat! It's cooked! And there's fruit and rice! How did you know?” she continued in her excitement.

  
  


“Know _what_?!” he recovered from momentarily being caught off guard and rapidly losing what little patience he had.

  
  


“Humans can't eat raw meat. We get sick if we do. Also, we eat a wide variety of foods from meats to grains, seeds, fruits and milk too! How did you know all of this? Tell me!” she looked up at him intently.

  
  


'The hell...does she mean the food on the plate??' Ryuji was having a hard time keeping up with her babblings.

  
  


“I just guessed...” he finally put two and two together and answered.

  
  


“Even if you were just guessing, I'm impressed and thankful,” she picked up her first piece of cutlery in over a month and began to eat.

  
  


Kamis above, it tasted divine! She had had very little to eat during the war. Every single texture and flavor was simply dancing on her tongue and filling her belly in the most pleasant way! On her own travels, sometimes she would be light on food but she usually never went days without eating. The villages she helped would always offer a wonderful meal or two to help pay for her services as a priestess. Going without food for a few days now and again was becoming an unfortunate pattern now that she was living with wolves. One positive aspect of it though was she had easily lost a few pounds of weight that she really didn't need.

  
  


Ryuji didn't know what to say to a human showing gratitude and who the fuck cared if she was impressed? He elected to grumble to himself and continue his own meal. The entire table had watched the exchange between wolf youkai and human with interest. Kouga was unbothered and drank down his mug of saké as soon as he saw the human wasn't in any immediate danger. Takeshi was pleased his beta had scored some favor with her. If she was to become this pack's alpha female at some point, then, she and his beta would need to get along. Part of him was a touch jealous that Ryuji had received such glowing words of thanks and such bright smiles from her though. The western alpha hoped that one day she would favor him with those beaming smiles. Across the table, Hakkaku and Ginta had a secret bet going for how long it would take Kagome to win over the surly Ryuji. The notion wasn't too farfetched as they could see how Takeshi was taken with her and even their own leader seemed a bit different these days.

  
  


“Everyone!” Takeshi's commanding voice suddenly filled the cave, effectively quieting all voices.

  
  


“Thanks to our brothers from the east, we can now trade at will fairly with our wildcat neighbors. Well, with a significant discount actually,” he chuckled at that last part, remembering how he had Itchy wriggling underneath his great black paw. Various chuckles rumbled across the room.

  
  


“So, let's raise our mugs to the bravery and strength of our warriors east and west and thank them heartily for this victory. And let us also raise our mugs to the ever enduring bonds of comradery with our eastern brothers. Today, we feast in your honor! Cheers!” Takeshi raised his mug in salute as the room toasted him back and clinked mugs among each other.

  
  


Spirited conversation retook the room as Takeshi sat back down in his seat.

'A trade dispute? That's what this was all about?' Kagome mused mentally but then shrugged off as humans had done much the same over the centuries....and becuase there was such a delectable plate of food in front of her!

She dug in heartily after saying a slient prayer of gratitude to the Gods.

  
  


“We definitely owe you, brother,” he offered his mug to Kouga.

  
  


The eastern alpha smirked as he raised his mug and they toasted .

  
  


“If there's something you're in the market for, let me know and I'll see about getting it,” Takeshi flashed him a thumbs up.

  
  


“Thanks, I'll keep that in mind,” Kouga responded as he took another deep swig of the saké.

  
  


There wasn't anything in particular that he had in mind. Most things he wanted weren't exactly things one could find at the market. In fact, what he wanted most was to get back on track with his plans of conquest. It had been one distraction after another: the girl, the birds-of-paradise, the girl got hurt, then there was the illness outbreak, the girl got sick, and now this with the western pack's dispute with the wildcats. He was planning to leave as soon as possible so he could return to his ambitions of creating a name for himself and his pack being as powerful as they were feared worldwide.

  
  


“We owe you much as well, Little Flower,” Takeshi leaned over and spoke quietly to Kagome.

  
  


The girl looked over, surprised anybody spoke to her at all, with cheeks full of delicious food. Then, she chewed as fast as she could so she could swallow and not be thought of as crass or rude. Just because she was creeped out by him doesn't mean she shouldn't be polite!

  
  


'Look at her. She's like a cute little chipmunk,' he couldn't help but smile softly at her, “I hear you helped many soldiers during this battle. You have my thanks,” he chuckled as she finally emptied her mouth.

  
  


Kouga chose now to rejoin the world from his big glorious plans and took another swig of saké from his mug, “Meh, no thanks needed. It's her job to provide that support.”

  
  


Kagome silently glared at him, annoyed at him for speaking for her. Still, he was right...even if he is being an ass about it.

“I'm glad I could be of help,” she smiled somewhat nervously.

Takeshi still unnerved her; even when he was being polite.

“You don't have to do anything for me. This delicious food and a place to rest are enough,” she lightly bowed her head in appreciation.

  
  


“Nonsense! We always settle our debts! Perhaps you would like a tour of my den? Or maybe you would be interested in a bath-?” he began to list things that he had known females to like. He didn't know if the tastes would be the same from the she-wolves he usually pursued-

  
  


“Do you have hot springs???” she suddenly leaned forward, stars shinning in her forest eyes.

  
  


The western alpha suddenly faltered at her question. He drank in the verdant hues mixed with the earthy tones in those irises. Stunning. Combined with that smile shining brightly like sunshine....his mind froze, unable to form words.

  
  


“Oh!....Um....,” she pulled back, suddenly self-conscious and worrying if she was asking too much, “i-if you have even a regular spring or a lake, that would work just fine too!” she began playing with her fingers nervously.

  
  


The movement woke up Takeshi's mind as he smiled, “ Actually, we do have hot springs! You're welcome to use them during your stay. Ryuji will show you to them and ensure your privacy. Afterwards, he will give you a tour of the den,” he looked past her to a glowering beta.

  
  


He knew Ryuji wouldn't be happy but this was his continuing punishment for almost killing her after all. He hardened his glare and arched a brow to ensure his beta got the message. Of course, Ryuji had no choice and he accepted his alpha's order.....more like accepted his fate.....either way worked.

  
  


Kouga had to stifle a growl at the fact of staying longer at the western den. He really wanted to leave after the feast. They had wasted enough time here already....but the girl looked so pleased by the thought of a bath that he couldn't find it within himself to argue. The extra rest would probably also be viewed favorably by his men as well. Relations with his soldiers had gotten strained during the time he had thought the human had ran away and he had taken some of that rage out on his soldiers. The extra time here may help recoup some additional morale in conjunction with the excitement of the victorious battle. These plans had been under way for over a year so what could a few more hours hurt? Especially since the girl could become a really useful resource to his plans. He had to keep reminding himself that he needed to build some trust and goodwill with the girl in order to keep having access to her abilities. There may be even more uses to find for her if he were patient enough. Plus....there was the fact that if she bathed, she wouldn't reek of Takeshi anymore. _That_ would be a welcome plus in his book. The soldiers would be needed for his ambitions too. Well, it looked like the eastern pack may be staying here awhile longer....

  
  


“Come on,” Ryuji abruptly stood up from his place and started walking towards the mouth of the den.

  
  


Kagome scrambled gracelessly to her feet, toes catching on layered edges of furs and hurried to follow. Kouga seemed to pour up to his feet, his form easily rising with latent lupine power. Finishing up the group was a trotting Hayate, keeping at his charge's side as had become normal. Takeshi watched them go thinking them an odd looking group. A wolf youkai alpha, the top animal wolf of the same pack and a human girl all walking together so naturally. The strangest part about it was how comfortable the trio looked together. Just how long has Kouga had this little slave of his? Also, the eastern pack had a deep, thorny hatred of humanity. Out of all of the packs, the eastern pack was well known to have eaten or killed the most humans as their den was closest to the human settlements. How is it that this one girl came into servitude to a man known to have a very long string of human kills beneath his belt? It had been made clear that Kouga did not keep her around to bed her. Maybe it was purely to make use of her healing talents? He hadn't seen them in person but he saw the results of her skills with his men. She must be truly proficient if Kouga was able to set his hatred aside to bring her into the pack...or to outright refuse to sell or trade for her. The western alpha took a hearty gulp of his fifth mug of saké pondering how he could whisk her away from Kouga's side and firmly planted by his own.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Ryuji didn't slow his gait as the human stumbled here or there over the rocks leading from the mouth of the den down to the sandy stretch of beach. The hot springs were around the side of the den and they were communal. Since wolf demons did most things together such as eating, training, sleeping and so on, they also bathed together. The pack didn't all jump in at once, of course. It was the women that were often found here most consistently. The males rarely made use of the springs unless they were particularly filthy or trying to get a female's attention. The springs were a delightfully warm place with a damp, steamy fog hanging around....which made them ideal for flirting pairs looking to have a passionate encounter. This was especially true at night when the would be lovers could meet under the cover of darkness without prying eyes or noses to worry about. The damp air rendered their superior noses just about useless and the fog decreased visual acuity.

  
  


“Here,” Ryuji offhandedly gestured to nobody before leaning against a nearby tree, hands clasped behind his head and ankles crossed.

  
  


After everything she had been through up until now, she had never beheld such a beautiful sight! There were several connected baths spread out over low, layered cliffs. Patches of long grasses weaved and framed around the pools. Small pops of flowers blossomed here and there. A few large black pine trees acted as a natural wall around the baths. Steam floated about lazily in the warm summer evening air as the sky started to shed its colors of sunset. A few stars were beginning to blink into the darkening sky. Several torches of swirling blue and violet were stationed around the springs, helping to light the area. It could have had the worst surroundings and the priestess would still find it exquisite. Hot baths meant being liberated from dirt, grime, sweat and soothing achy, tired muscles. Getting a few hours of sleep helped revive her some and so did the food, but it was hard to top a good, hot bath!

  
  


She ran forward in jubilation to the water's edge of the nearest pool. From what she could tell, this was a different type of hot spring as it had crystalline blue depths with wondrous clarity. Perhaps it wasn't a mineral type like she was used to? It looked quite deep compared to the spring back in Kouga's chambers where the deepest part reached her chin. Here, she could probably dive downward several feet. She immediately unclipped the cape around her shoulders and dropped it to the ground before realizing that the two men were still here. She turned around to see Ryuji hadn't moved from his spot and Kouga had elected to sit in the shade of a nearby tree, resting against the pine's trunk. Either way; both men were watching her and she wasn't about to have that if she could help it.

  
  


“Um, some privacy would be nice, please” she smiled, hoping that being nice would make them leave her to bathe in peace.

  
  


“Nope,” Ryuji replied simply, not bothering to look at her.

  
  


“Nah,” Kouga leaned back against the tree, getting comfortable.

  
  


Okay, being nice was over.

  
  


“Takeshi said to take me here to bathe and I refuse to bathe until you both are gone. What will he do if you fail to carry out your orders, _Ryuji_?” she planted her hands firmly on her fur clad hips anger already mounting.

  
  


If she had learned anything in her time in the eastern den; it was the fact that strength meant everything. She may not have the brute strength to get her point across but she could play politics at least.

  
  


“Nothing I can't handle, _human_ ,” the beta snarled from his place against his tree.

  
  


This woman was annoying him already. Where did she get off ordering him around?

  
  


Kouga watched the exchange closely for any signs of aggression and so did his beast inside their shared mind-space. His body locked and ready to intervene if necessary. From what he could tell, Ryuji despised humans very much like most of the eastern pack did but would he disobey a direct order from his alpha?

  
  


Both human and beta stood there staring each other down, daring the other to move. Finally, Ryuji walked forward to her slowly, maintaining eye contact, until they were less than a foot apart.

  
  


Kouga went to stand but noticed that Hayate was still sitting peacefully next to the girl. If Ryuji had ill intentions towards the girl, then his wolf would definitely be growling by now if he hadn't attacked already.

  
  


Ryuji glared down at the girl, chocolate eyes burning into forest, “My alpha did order me to take you here so you can bathe, so, quit whining and.....bathe!” he bit out as he gave her chest a lite shove!

**Ker-sploosh!** The girl suddenly disappeared into the large nearby pool!

  
  


Ryuji returned to his tree, grumbling with a “humph!....uppity bitch.....what a pain in my ass....”.

  
  


Kouga kept his eyes trained on the settling water, waiting for her head to break the surface.

A few minutes had passed and the girl hadn't come up for air yet. Where was she? Wait...did she know how to swim? How long can humans hold their breath? They can't breathe underwater, right? Every second that ticked by made him feel more uneasy. His beast paced in their shared mind-space. Too long. She was taking too long! He was just about to dive in after her when a flash of teal and black dove in before him! Hayate was moving back and forth along the water's edge, whining in distress as he went. Eventually, Ryuji came up for air with no girl in tow. He looked about frantically to see no sign of her and then dove again into the warm, clear waters. The pools had such great clarity, so, why couldn't he find the human!? Where did she disappear to? And how!?

  
  


'Fucking hell, Takeshi is gonna have my head for this!' he mentally panicked as once again he came up for air empty handed.

  
  


For some gods-forsaken reason, his alpha had become smitten with the human. No doubt he could kiss his ass goodbye if something happened to his leader's object of affection!

  
  


The eastern alpha was experiencing his own panic situation. His stomach had fallen to his feet and his chest and tightened like a vice around his heart and lungs. Memories of the girl burst to the front of his mind. SO many memories....even though he had only known her a month! What was he going to do now? Wait! Last he checked, she didn't have any magic abilities so she couldn't have disappeared by using a spell or some such. She _has_ to be around here somewhere! She has to be!

  
  


“Are you fucking kidding me!?” a very angry beta was yelling off to the side somewhere.

  
  


Kouga followed his pissed off gaze to a smiling girl with her face in her hands propped up on the edge of a higher level pool. Water dripped down her face and shoulders like small jewels as they caught the light of the rising moon.

  
  


“Ha! Serves you right, you big brute! How awful of you to push a girl around!” Kagome teased as she stuck out her tongue.

  
  


“Damn bitch!” Ryuji had finally had enough and leapt in her direction only to be abruptly halted and then eating dirt.

  
  


Kouga had caught the beta's ankle midair and pulled back to stop his advance, “Leave the human to me...” he gritted out through his teeth.

  
  


Ryuji got up and dusted himself off as the eastern alpha made to approach the girl. Looking at her only pissed him off even more so he stomped off somewhere else for awhile to cool down...and to dodge Takeshi if he came looking for him.

  
  


Once Kouga had seen that Kagome was perfectly safe, he just about drowned in the tidal wave of relief. As his jackhammer heart slowed to a more normal pace, the relief flooded out and anger began to take its place. He actually respected the girl a bit for pulling that stunt on Ryuji but he couldn't help but also feel just as angry over said stunt. Hayate had already bounded up to her and began snuffling her hair and licking her face, tail wagging as he chuffed and whimpered. Kagome followed the edge until she found a spot to get out and was assaulted by her furry babysitter with more licks and whines.

  
  


A giggling girl soaked to the bone and an overly happy wolf acting like an excited puppy was the scene that Kouga stalked up to. It took a couple more minutes before Kagome was able to push the giant wolf off to the side so she could catch her breath. She looked up to a very upset Kouga with icy blue eyes, a heavily creased brow, a tight mouth and folded arms. Laughter died on her lips as she took his visage in. An inkling crept up her spine as a little voice wondered if maybe she had taken that prank a bit too far....

  
  


“What? Ryuji pushed me in first, which wasn't necessary. I only asked for some privacy for kami's sake! I don't see why that should be such an issue,” she fumed as she stood up and began wringing out her hair.

  
  


It was true that Ryuji had started this little episode but Kouga didn't have any command over a member from another pack. Instead, he maintained his hard glare directed down at the girl.

  
  


“Fine, I'll go apologize,” she huffed.

  
  


She couldn't help but feel like a disobedient little child caught by their parent doing something wrong. Anybody else could have probably done the same to her as she had done to Ryuji and she doubted they would have any repercussions for their actions. It wasn't fair!

  
  


A solid forearm in the stomach stopped her leaving, “You will probably be killed if you go talk to him now,” Kouga regarded her with a meaningful arch of his angry raven brow.

  
  


“Then, what do you want me to do to fix this then?” she returned her fiery forest orbs to his icy blue.

  
  


In another situation, another time, he might have found her angry, pouty expression cute but she had pushed her luck too far today. He had been worried that she had been hurt or worse, drowned, and he seriously didn't enjoy feeling this way. If she keeps this up, she will definitely be killed by somebody or some _thing_. She needed to learn to make smarter choices when it came to relations inside and outside his pack. Pissing off members from other packs was case in point. It takes an extraordinary amount of work to play the game of pack politics and he wouldn't have any of his hard work undone by a willful human girl. It was also a concern that she was making friends back at the den. He needed her to understand that she shouldn't be so naive about trusting or being nice to people.

  
  


“Hm, maybe I should just let Takeshi have you for awhile...just to help you get it through your head that you need to simply be quiet and follow orders,” he sneered down at her with an evil smile.

  
  


“What? You wouldn't dare....” she defiantly lifted her chin.

  
  


“Wouldn't I?” he arched an onyx brow in response.

  
  


Kagome had to admit that her courage was faltering. Would he hand her over to that jerk just to make a point? No way would he do that....right? Right? Then again, maybe he would....Just because he had shown some concern about her now and again didn't mean he was above playing dirty to get what he wants. The thought left her feeling vulnerable...and cold....but maybe that chill was due to the fact that she was soaking wet from her impromptu swim and a evening breeze had momentarily kicked up.

  
  


Kouga watched the expressions flit across her face. The defiance had melted into uncertainty. Good; that was what he wanted to instill in her. Handing her over to Takeshi for any length of time was merely a bluff but she didn't need to know that. She needed to remember her place as a human slave, that _she_ was indentured to _him_ for _life_ , and to not get too comfortable or complacent. Anything different would ensure she wouldn't see a ripe old age. Far as he was concerned; he was doing her a favor for making her reflect on these truths. He was certain that, one day, she would thank him for this lesson. Is was in her best interest after all.

  
  


“You...wouldn't really just give me to Takeshi, would you?” her head was bowed now, her coal bangs hiding her eyes but he could hear the distress in her voice and her scent had taken on a damp moss quality.

  
  


His beast 's ears began to flatten as he grew restless on his great paws. His humanoid half was upsetting her and he didn't like it. Kouga on the the other hand felt his anger evaporating like the steam from the heated pools nearby. It was a healthy thing for her to grasp and understand how precarious her position is being a human among wolves but he wasn't trying to scare her into tears.

  
  


“Look. He was on the offense and what would you have done? Purify him on the spot? I doubt you could match his physical strength. And then what? You would've killed a ranking wolf from another pack. An act like that could start a clan war between the east and west. They would demand your head as penance. I think our deal would be as good as done at that point,” he explained, hoping she would understand that she needs to be more careful with her actions, “Just tone down the attitude and keep more to yourself. Making friends and being nice to people could end up being your undoing. Choose your battles and avoid picking fights that you can't settle without using your holy power. Other wolves won't show you the same patience as I have,” one big clawed hand came to rest on her head without his permission.

  
  


''Patience',' she internally scoffed in her mind before a light went off in her head, 'Oh, I see....he was worried about me again. And he wants me to be more careful with what I say and do with others. He's not saying don't stick up for myself....he's saying there's a time and a place. Otherwise, I could end up....,' she didn't need to finish that last line of thinking.

  
  


It was frustrating but she had to admit that his royal ass-ness had a legitimate point. She had always believed in standing up for herself regardless of the opponent. But in Ryuji's case, he was already bothered to have to tend to her at all and then she threw gas on the fire by pulling a seemingly harmless prank. If Kouga hadn't been there, Ryuji would've at least hurt her or he might have accidentally killed her. She was already well used to the principle of working with whatever was available to her. Perhaps that school of thought applied here too. Instead of demanding that Ryuji and Kouga leave, she could have simply found a bush for cover or something to retain some dignity at least. It may be wiser to reserve her usual fighting spirit for times that truly called for it rather than a mundane squabble like this one. It probably would also be wise to feel out the person more thoroughly so she would know whether this person is 'safe' to mess with or somebody to be wary about.

With her scent shifting back to the endless field of flowers; he knew that this matter was settled. He picked up her up by her hips and launched her into another steaming pool before she could object.

**Ker-sploosh!** **Hack!** **Cough!** “What the hell, Kouga!?” the priestess screeched with fury.

“You did say you wanted a bath...so....get on with it!” Kouga responded with an irritating laugh and self-satisfied grin.

'What _is_ it with him and throwing me around!?' she screamed internally before she looked past him to see that Ryuji had returned to his tree from before, 'Ooooooooh, I see now.....', she affirmed as her temper started to cool.

  
  


Kouga must have sensed that Ryuji had come back and did something to deter any possibility of human sympathy being observed. Still, she grumbled in annoyance as she swam to an edge lined with some thick brush. At least these bushes could shield her body as she stripped off her armor for an actual bath. She did just that and shed each piece into a tidy pile at the pool's edge before diving underneath. Since she was meant to serve Kouga and his pack for life, she supposed that she should learn and get used to pack politics. How different could they be from the what she had experienced so far with humans? Different humans in different stations commanded their own levels of respect or expected behaviors. The wolf demon culture seemed to work the same based on what she had observed so far...

  
  


Off to the side, Ryuji found his gaze following her as she swam about. He didn't know humans could swim but this one did. Strange. Now, she had a distant, far away look as if deep in thought as she sat with her back against the opposite pool edge. Immediately, he dismissed the possibility as he, like his lupine brethren, believed humans to be as smart as rocks and pathetic like mice. He had seen already that there was nothing mousey about _this_ human. She had a real mouth on her and a fire in her eyes he had never seen in one of her kind before. A small part of him begrudgingly gave her a bit of credit for fooling him earlier. He still didn't know how she had managed to disappear like that and under his very nose no less. Aside from her fiery spirit, maybe some intelligence, and healing abilities, she seemed very plain and uninteresting. What did Takeshi see in this girl? His eyes drifted over to the tree that the eastern alpha now sat at. Kouga seemed relaxed leaning up against the tree with his ankles crossed and eyes closed. It was odd to him that the alpha of the east deigned to keep tabs on her. What was so special about this one human woman that wolf demons, and alphas at that, put stock into keeping her alive or pleasing her? Or taking her to bed like Takeshi wanted to do? Try as he might, Ryuji couldn't see the point....but his alpha deemed her important enough to bother with....so....he would do whatever needed to be done.

  
  


Several minutes later, the priestess and wolf walked back over and joined Kouga underneath the tall pine tree. Ryuji took that as his cue to move onto his next task of taking them on a tour of the western den. He continued to watch her as she gushed over a large field of flowers near the den that the cubs were known for playing in, she appreciated the craftsmanship of various pieces of furniture inside the den and its doors, she gazed in wonder at the natural skylights in the den ceilings as moonlight filtered through and she ran about through the surf with her giant wolf on the beach like a child, laughing as she went. He wasn't sure if it was the childish behavior or the fact that the giant wolf followed her around like a puppy and played with her like one that puzzled him more. There was also the curious thing that Kouga's gaze seemed softer as he also watched her antics.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Kagome couldn't help but run through the crashing surf, feeling the cool waters run over her toes. The ocean waters glittered underneath the moonlight. The velvet black skies were absolutely dripping with sparkling jewels as far as the eye could see. A warm summer night breeze tussled through her hair that now blew free as she had undone her braid after her earlier nap.

  
  


“Well, looks like you're having fun, eh, Little Flower?” Takeshi suddenly appeared walking down the sand dune.

  
  


“Huh? Oh, yeah!...Er, I mean, yes...yes, I am,” Kagome first answered with excitement before remembering where she was and that she should be more conscious of her actions.

  
  


“Ha, ha! There's no need to hold yourself back or stand on ceremony, Little Flower! Say what you want how you want to,” the western leader guffawed as he came to stand several feet away from the girl, careful not to get too close for fear of making her nervous.

  
  


He didn't want her to feel the need to hide behind Kouga. If he was going to get a chance to court her, he would need to be patient and earn her trust. All the effort spent doing this would make having her all the sweeter in the end.

  
  


“Do you like the sea?” he smiled at her, hoping he came off as approachable and friendly.

  
  


“Yes, the sea air is so refreshing,” she breathed deeply and sighed in contentment, “and the stars and moon are so beautiful...” she added dreamily.

  
  


'Not nearly as beautiful as you...' the western alpha thought as he wished he could bundle up the sky of stars and moon and gift them to her.

  
  


Kagome stood there at the water's edge, unsure of what to make of Takeshi now. He was being...different somehow. Instead of barging into her space and trying to force physical contact, he was keeping a respectful distance and talking with her. At this moment, he didn't seem as scary or slimy as he did before and she felt okay being out in the open with him instead of eyeing him warily from behind Kouga's arm.

  
  


Both Kouga and Ryuji stood to the side of this curious interaction. Ryuji merely rolled his eyes at his leader trying to make nice with the human. Far as he was concerned; she wasn't worth the trouble. Kouga was initially puzzled but then grew suspicious of the western alpha's intentions. This had to be a ploy to get on her good side and bring her guard down; he was sure of it. All of this just to bed her didn't add up. It seemed like too much effort put in just for that......He reflected on what he had thought before they left for battle that Takeshi may have given her his cape just to cover her in his scent as an act of courtship. He had thought that theory absurd back then....but, now.....?

  
  


“...but, I think I enjoy the mountains and forests even more,” Kagome admitted with a soft yawn.

  
  


Kouga couldn't explain it but he felt slightly relieved to hear her say that. His beast looked on the girl with a peaceful gaze and suddenly wished to order the pack to return to the mountains tonight. Kouga mentally waved him off. They would stay the night here and then take out in the morning after breakfast. He figured neither his warriors or the girl would take kindly to an overnight journey so soon after a battle.

  
  


“I see the day has worn you out, Little Flower. Are your accommodations satisfactory? This ill-tempered bag of fur isn't forcing you to sleep on the floor, is he?” he gestured towards Kouga with his chin.

  
  


Both girl and alpha suddenly felt nervous and straightened up a bit involuntarily at this line of questioning. They knew that nobody could find out that they willingly share a bed together! It would be scandalous and cause a whole cascade of other problems for them both!

  
  


“Oh, I'm used to sleeping on the floor and, thanks to the warm weather, I don't need any extra blankets. Hay-chan here makes an excellent pillow and he's warm too,” she began to gently rub said wolf's ears as he rumbled in contentment underneath her touch.

  
  


“Heh, you're awfully good with wolves for a human. How did you tame him?” Takeshi asked with keen interest.

  
  


“Well....I'm not really sure to be honest.....we have been together since my first night in the caves and have been through two battles, so.....Just a lot time spent together, I guess?” she shrugged her shoulders.

  
  


She truly did not know what she did to earn Hayate's good favor. She was simply glad that she had it.

  
  


“Hm, I see,” the western alpha stroked his chin in thought, “next time you come visit, I'll have to introduce you to my wolf.”

  
  


“You have your own wolf?” Kagome asked with interest.

  
  


She had to admit that she would love to meet more animal wolves. The priestess loved animals of all sizes. She wondered what Takeshi's wolf was like....Another yawn escaped through her pastel pink lips, earning another laugh from the western alpha. She was just too cute when she was sleepy.

  
  


“Well, I'll let you go get some rest. If he gets to be too much, come find me or Ryuji, okay?” Takeshi chuckled before he walked back towards the den.

  
  


Ryuji stifled a growl at his leader volunteering him once again to see to the human's needs. This was degrading! When was this fascination with her going to pass?! Kouga's azure eyes narrowed at Takeshi's retreating figure. Something stank here and he really needed to figure out what. The group began to also return to the den for the night, girl and wolf ahead while eastern alpha and western beta trailed behind.

  
  


“More human-sitting duty.....damn it, what the hell is up with him? He never cared about humans before...” Ryuji grumbled under his breath too low for Kagome to hear but audible enough for Kouga's ears.

He suspected the beta may know more about this....situation. Maybe if he fished a little.....

  
  


“Yeah...I have never seen him care about humans either...” Kouga pretended to muse, hoping Ryuji might expand on what he knew about this, if anything.

  
  


“Can you believe that he wants to _court_ her??? Maybe even _mate_ her and make her our _alpha female_?! It's disgusting!” Ryuji continued to grouse.

  
  


Kouga just about stumbled over his own two feet at that comment.

  
  


'Court her?.....mate?!.....alpha female?!' Kouga could hardly believe what he was hearing but if he looked at past events....it all made sense. Damnit, he had thought this was just a matter of a lustful male looking to rut but this ass was wanting forever! No. Nooooooo way in hell was this happening! The girl is meant to serve _him_ and the eastern pack _for life_! Not mate into another pack and become one of their leaders! What in the fucking hell was Takeshi thinking?!

  
  


“I know. Crazy, right?” Ryuji harshly whispered as Kouga regained his footing, “I'll definitely leave this pack if he mates that bitch. I am _not_ being second to that wench,” he added.

  
  


Ryuji continued to complain but Kouga wasn't able to hear it. He was lost in his own thoughts about how to handle a rival alpha that seemed to be swooning in love over his human slave. Out of all of the things he had expected to deal with in keeping a human slave, he did _not_ see a romantic suitor as being one of them! _Never_ in a million years! His fist began to shake as the hackles rose on his internal beast. Both were in violent agreement that NO fucking way was Takeshi getting his grubby paws on Kagome!


End file.
